Calif. braces for return of winds

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

After a welcome lull in powerful winds that drove Southern California’s massive wildfire, crews and homeowners braced Wednesday for the return of potentially dangerous gusts that could revive the flames.

Some residents are watching from afar at hotels and evacuation centers, while others are waiting in their homes and hoping for the best.

Katy and Bob Zappala have stayed in their home in Santa Barbara, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, despite a mandatory evacuation order that’s been in place since Saturday.

“Our cars are packed, we have all our clothes and jewelry, so we’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice should we have to,” Katy Zappala, 74, said Wednesday. “We’re ready to leap in and leave, and we’re just keeping a good eye on the sky.”

The Zappalas and their cat, Madeline, haven’t left home since the evacuation order was issued because authorities wouldn’t allow them back in. They’re starting to run out of food and are hoping that if they make it through the next wave of winds, the ordeal will be over.

“It’s a critical day,” Zappala said. “You’re always nervous when the winds come up.”

Some 18,000 homes and other buildings remain threatened in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.