“Snow blowers are used to shoot water into the air,” CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said. “Anything that gets moisture in the air is good. Essentially, in the winter, they shoot water into the air and it condenses and turns into snow. In that case, it was just about getting things wet.”
Heavenly is helping firefighters in other ways. Cal Fire has set up a base at the complex that will keep firefighters closer to the fire, Mike Fire, of Cal Fire, told CNN.
Cal Fire plans to direct the Heat Fires in areas around Heavenly, where they already have fuel changes when crossing the Sierra Nevada mountain line. Fires feed on dry trees and bushes. In Heavenly, this fuel will be wet and will slow down the fire.
Due to the strong wind that the firefighters have had to face, occasional fires, created by embers that land beyond the lines of fire, can occur a mile away and make firefighting very difficult. and dangerous, according to Ward.
“Observation remains a problem. They have been a problem since the first day of this incident, and that is what makes this fire grow exponentially, so once the wind subsides, we will see the place. fire distances are dwindling, “Steve Volmer of Cal Fire told CNN on Wednesday.
In the last 24 hours, the Caldor fire has grown to 210,259 hectares and 25% is contained, according to Cal Fire, in an update, which noted that there was “reduced activity during the night” due to higher winds. quiet in the area.
The fire has destroyed at least 622 homes and threatened 32,387 structures so far, according to Cal Fire.