California
16,000-acre wildfire in Santa Barbara County prompts evacuations near vineyards, Neverland Ranch
A wildfire in the mountains above Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley has exploded to more than 16,000 acres, prompting evacuations near vineyards and Neverland Ranch.
The Lake fire was sparked near Zaca Lake on Friday afternoon just before 4 p.m. and quickly spread through dry grass, brush and timber, officials said. The fire was zero percent contained on Sunday.
The Sheriff’s Department expanded the evacuation area Saturday night along Figueroa Mountain Road near Neverland Ranch, once owned by the pop star Michael Jackson. More ground crews were dispatched to the area.
“Our goal is to keep [the fire] away from all those structures,” said Kenichi Haskett, the public information officer assigned to the firefighting operation. “It’s going to continue to grow.”
The fire was burning in the mountains above Foxen Canyon Road, where there are more than a dozen vineyards. Several wineries north of Los Olivos were closed Sunday after fire officials cut off access to the road.
But there was no need to evacuate, said Ashley Parker, co-owner of Fess Parker Winery.
Though she could see the glow at night north of the winery, the wind appeared to be taking the fire farther north, away from populated areas, Parker said.
The threat level was low enough that the youngsters were simply entertained by the fire helicopters sucking water from the vineyard reservoir, she said.
“My nieces and their husbands live on the ranch,” Parker said. “All the kids were getting a real thrill out of it. Those helicopter pilots are really amazing. So lucky to have great fire crews.”
The fire was fueled by low humidity and hot inland temperatures. When the fire started, a red flag warning was in place because of gusty winds. The wind has now calmed down, but temperatures remain high.
“With less wind, they can get aircraft in there to drop retardant,” said Joe Sirard, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “But it’s life threatening heat for these firefighters.”
He said the humidity was still in single digits in some areas of the fire, especially in the highest elevations. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Amid scorching temperatures, crews continued to battle several wildfires in inland areas across California. The largest is the Basin fire in Fresno County, which started June 26. The fire, which has burned 14,027 acres, was 60% contained on Sunday.
Crews also gained the upper hand on the French fire, which began on the Fourth of July and briefly threatened the town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park. The 908-acre fire, which temporarily triggered mandatory evacuations and closed State Route 140 leading into the park, stands at 60% containment.
The weather service has issued an excessive-heat warning until 9 p.m. on Wednesday for inland valleys from Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County down to the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. Forecasters say the highs along this stretch of inland California are expected to range from 106 to 116 degrees.
The relentless heat shattered records in some parts of the state on Saturday. Palmdale tied its all-time record of 115 degrees. Death Valley set a new record for July 6 with a high of 128 degrees.
On Saturday, a cooling trend prompted the weather service to call off excessive-heat advisories and warnings in many of the coastal areas.
In Los Olivos, vineyard managers said they were optimistic the fire would soon be contained. Parker said she expected her winery to reopen Monday.
“I really do believe the firefighters knocked it back and that area is going to be up to speed in a day,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is encourage people not to come. The town of Los Olivos is in good shape. Businesses are open. People are having a good time.”
Adrian De La Cruz, who works at Petros Winery closer to town, said customers were being seated indoors because of the air quality.
“The smoke is getting really bad today,” he said. “Yesterday it was raining ash.”
He said one fire patrol officer stopped by, but he did not have time to talk to him.
“We were busy,” he said.
California
Powerball champ Edwin Castro soars through California 10K race days after being cleared of theft allegations
Talk about taking your money and running.
Powerball winner Edwin Castro charged through a California 10K race Saturday morning — days after a judge cleared him of allegations he stole his record-breaking $2.04 billion ticket.
The free man, 31, soared through the Manhattan Beach 10k run in 1 hour, 1 minute and 42 seconds, race results show.
Castro’s 9:55 per-mile average made him the 1,772nd overall finisher out of 3,612 racers.
That also landed him the 189th spot for the male 30-34 age bracket, which had 255 total runners.
The Post caught Castro looking slightly distressed as he picked up his race bib Friday.
The lottery winner was spotted frowning as he looked down at his phone in one hand, with his racing number in his other.
It’s not clear how much the billionaire donated toward the annual race, which raised $750,000 that typically goes toward funding community centers and public spaces.
Entry costs topped off at $50 for the 2024 race, meaning Castro may have at least handed over a Ulysses S. Grant bill.
The race comes four days after a California judge tossed out a lawsuit by Jose Rivera that alleged Castro stole the winning ticket from him back in 2022.
The judge ruled that “players are solely responsible for securing their tickets against theft, loss, damage, or destruction.”
It means Castro no longer has to fight to prove he is the rightful owner of the jackpot, the biggest in US history.
Castro nabbed the life-changing jackpot in November 2022, and opted for the lump sum payout of $997.7 million.
California
Miami-California free livestream: How to watch Cam Ward tonight, TV, schedule
The No. 8 Miami Hurricanes play against the California Golden Bears in a college football game tonight. The matchup will begin at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
Miami enters this matchup with a 5-0 record, and the team is coming off a close 38-34 win against Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes almost conceded a touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game, but the pass was ruled incomplete.
During the victory, Miami accrued 508 total yards. The team’s star quarterback Cam Ward threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns, which helped the Hurricanes overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Notably, Ward has thrown for 18 touchdowns and more than 1,700 yards this season, so he will look to continue his success tonight.
California enters this matchup with a 3-1 record, but the team has a 0-1 record in conference play. In their last game, California lost 14-9 against Florida State.
During the loss, California was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. The team accrued more than 400 total yards, but they missed two field goals and never scored a touchdown. The California offense will try to bounce back with a better performance tonight.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
California
Newsom gives $131M more to clear homeless encampments to CA cities, counties
Gov.Gavin Newsom is hoping his latest round of homeless encampment resolution funding will not just help clear the state’s sidewalks — but also hold cities and counties more accountable for making it happen.
Newsom on Friday doled out $130.7 million to 12 cities and six counties, aiming to clear homeless encampments and provide shelter, care and support. Among the recipients are Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Pasadena and Los Angeles cities, but missing this round was Los Angeles County.
Newsom said L.A. County’s absence is not an oversight, nor is it a political maneuver.
“A disproportionate share has gone to L.A. City and L.A. County, as well as their C.O.C. (Continuum of Care), so they’ve been well resourced,” Newsom said. “It’s not intentional. I wouldn’t read between the lines.”
L.A. County received $51 million of homelessness funding from the state in May.
Newsom said so far, the state’s $1 billion encampment resolution program has doled out more than $737 million to clear encampments across California.
As part of this latest round of funding, Newsom said he’s also stepped up accountability measures and promised to claw back funding if the cities or counties fail to meet the requirements. The new standards, he said, are essential to reduce encampments and reclaim California’s public spaces.
Related story: Newsom makes good on threats against Norwalk for its ban on homeless shelters
“We need to re-democratize our streets and do it in a compassionate way, with our values intact, support the people who are out there and the underlying causes,” Newsom said. “But, we need to take back the streets.”
Newsom said the encampment resolution program is working. Since July, 991 encampments have been removed and more than 12,000 have been removed over the past three years.
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