Crews are still mopping up some portions. There is reason to believe that a familiar pattern is emerging and the "138 arsonist" might be active again. Dispatchers reported that callers saw someone using some sort of incendiary device along the road way. When Div Chief Tim Wessel arrived last night and assumed command, he saw another fire take off 1/2 mile to the East of his location. There have been a number of fires set along Hwy 138 and the lower portion of Hwy 2 over the past five years but no solid leads have ever been developed.
Like the person who set the fatal Esperanza Fire, someone last night wanted the 30-40 mph winds to drive this fire into homes and people. Winds were pushing the fire back down the canyon; towards the freeway. Thankfully, enough resources were able to be put into play to get lines around the fires.
In DC Wessel's opinion, the dusting of snow we got the night before might have made the deciding factor in whether crews would have been able to catch this one or not. Something else to consider is that fire crews not only face the dangers of attacking a fast moving fire with lines down in the area in the dark but the temperature was below freezing. Fighting fire with hoselines means you will get wet and those folks were mighty cold.
Winds and extremely low humidity will be with us again today. We still are a long ways from being out of danger from wild fire.
