Wind Change Could Harm California Fire Progress (VIDEO)

Approximately 8,000 firefighters are on scene, at least 1,644 homes have been destroyed, the fires have seared just under 650 square miles.

Photo courtesy: SPCA

(SAN DIEGO) - Hot dry Santa Ana winds have driven the Southern California wildfires across the state scoring tens of thousands of acres, over a thousand homes have burned to the ground.

But firefighters near Camp Pendleton say the last thing they need is for the winds to turn around and start blowing the other way. "If that happened it would be terrible, especially out toward Campo," one firefighter told Salem-News.com. "The fire could just come right back on us, taking paths that didn't already burn."

Stuart Seto, a Weather Specialist with the NOAA in Oxnard says the onset of onshore winds could reignite fires that had otherwise run their course west.

"It would be a problem in some specific areas if the winds started blowing back inland, even though it would have a lot of moisture it would still direct the fire."

In spite of the damage, many areas and even specific houses and buildings have missed the wrath of the flames. "They areas haven't all been burned" Seto added. He says that places that missed the wildfire's path are also very dry from the heat and flames.

The winds have subsided now, giving firefighters a temporary reprieve, Seto says. "Things look a lot better, the firefighters have more support, a lot of the winds have died down, they're blowing 20-25 mph, to maybe 30 mph gusts up in the mountains."

If the weather patterns continue to minimize, the progress should gain momentum. Weather specialists like Stuart Seto with the NOAA are monitoring the situation very closely.

So far the fires have killed at least five people, damage estimates in San Diego alone are expected to top one billion dollars, and the President has declared the region to be a disaster area.

The latest reports indicate that approximately 8,000 firefighters are on scene, at least 1,644 homes have been destroyed, as the fires have seared just under 650 square miles.

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