Humidity helps the Californian wild fires by Tomasz Schafernaker
Fire fighters in south west USA have been taking advantage of a change in humidity over the last 24 hours, in an attempt to contain the massive Santa Barbara blaze. Moist air currents from the ocean allowed temperatures to cool to 26C (79F), helping fire crews stop the blaze from spreading.
The fire has been burning since Tuesday and has threatened more than 2500 homes. By Sunday night the blaze had consumed about 13 square miles (34km) of Los Padres National Forest and was nearly one third contained. More than 300 fires continue to rage across southern California, but the situation has improved, with over 1000 being contained over the weekend.
Fire crew will have to act quickly though, as forecasters expect the moist air to break up over the coming days, resulting in drier conditions. Temperatures are expected to climb on Monday, hitting the 90s C (32F) within the next 48 hours.
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