More than 1,300 California firefighters are working to contain the wind-driven blaze that triggered new evacuation orders and far-reaching power shut-offs, officials said.
The big picture: The Alisal Fire, which ignited near the Alisal Reservoir on Monday, now spans more than 15,000 acres and is only 5% contained, according to Inciweb, an inter-agency incident information site.
- Strong northwest winds continue to push the fire's flames, prompting a wind advisory for the area.
- On Wednesday, utility provider Pacific Gas & Electric alerted 16,000 customers to planned power shut-offs Thursday due to "fire weather," the company said in a press release.
- PG&E shut off power Monday to approximately 25,000 customers in parts of 23 counties. Nearly all affected customers had their power restored Tuesday, PG&E said.
- Highway 101 near Santa Barbara has been closed since Monday.
Threat level: "This fire is a reminder that as summer winds down, our fire season ramps up," Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann said.
- Alisal is one of 10 uncontained large fires burning in California, per the National Interagency Fire Center.
Go deeper: California wildfire jumps major highway as blaze swells to 13,400 acres
