Yikes! Ash + wind = pseudo-smoke

THIS MORNING, from my place in Lambrose Canyon (in Live Oak Canyon), I noticed lots of ash on my car. Uh-oh!

I looked toward nearby Hamilton Trail—one of the areas hit by the great Santiago fire—and I saw something that looked like smoke.

But wait. Is there anything over there left to burn? Not much. (Check out my pictures from yesterday: Visiting Hamilton Trail.)


It soon became clear to me (I think) that I was looking, not at smoke, but at the result of winds picking up ash. That's all.

I hope.

MEANWHILE, the Santiago fire is "contained but not controlled," which means, I think, that there's no fuel around the remaining fire, but that not all flames are out. (The Orange County Fire Authority issued its last update three days ago, when it announced that the Santiago fire was fully "contained." OCFA did not mention that the fire was not yet "controlled." See OCFA. Near as I can tell, that announcement is the OCFA's "final" announcement.)



(All pictures taken this morning, about 11:00 a.m.)

UPDATE:


Since my post (above), the OC Reg reported as follows: Santiago fire smolders in forest: No flames, but hot spots remain, officials say:

Four days after the Santiago fire was contained by firefighters the blaze continues to smolder in an area away from homes and residents.

Dark clouds today looked as if smoke were visible in the direction of the 28,400-acre blaze, but officials said it was the result of increasing winds that picked up ash and dust particles left behind by the fire.

The remaining fire continues to be confined to a steep 300-acre area inside the Cleveland National Forest which currently is monitored by about 150 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service, said Frank Romero, of the U.S. Fire Services' fire prevention patrol.

Two fire engines remain on the scene to monitor remnants of the fire, and a helicopter is on standby to keep the fire in check, Romero said.

Firefighters set blazes in a 300-acre area close to the eastern containment lines as the Santiago fire was losing strength but before full containment was reached. The area was burned in a controlled setting in order to keep the fire from regaining strength by the thick vegetation.

Today, that area continues to slowly burn.

Fire officials continue to monitor the area and allow the fire to burn itself out, Romero said. The steep area prevents crews from climbing deep inside because they could be surrounded if the flames are fed by thick brush and wind. The steep terrain would prevent a speedy retreat, officials said.

Because of increasing winds, firefighters have been monitoring the area during the day and night in case the fire picks up.

Officials also are using heat sensors to spot burning areas. Hand crews follow up by going through and looking for hot spots, some of which are hidden underground in the roots of vegetation, Romero said.