Firefighters have been able to boost containment up to 68% on a wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County, and are hoping to continue progress against the Rey Fire even as dangerous fire conditions build in the region.
The fire has burned more than 33,000 acres of land in the mountains north of Santa Barbara, but has shown only minor growth during the last few days. At its peak, more than 2,000 people were involved in battling the blaze, but the number has since dropped to about 1100. No structures have been damaged. Firefighters are hoping to fully contain the blaze this week.
National Weather Service forecasters say a Red Flag Warning is in the forecast from Monday night through Wednesday morning for the southern Santa Barbara County mountains. Gusty wind and relative humidity down into the teens could create some extreme fire conditions.
