How the Hurricane Fire could lead to a potential superbloom next year

The Hurricane Fire that broke out in eastern San Luis Obispo County over the weekend is almost fully contained after spreading to more than 12,000 acres in just 24 hours.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) believes the fire was ignited Saturday morning by a lightning storm high in the Temblor Range.

BLM Central District Fire Captain Temo Baltazar says rough terrain and high winds changing direction caused two breaks in containment of the fire within the first few hours, causing it to spread rapidly.

Baltazar has been dealing with fires in the Carrizo Plain National Monument and Taft area for more than a decade and as a native of the Central Valley, tells KSBY this fire is different than others he’s seen.

“I'm from Bakersfield and I've been doing this since about 1996. I can't remember one getting this active out on the west side of (Kern) County for a while,” Baltazar said. “We do have some issues with moving around the mechanized equipment and limited resources; little to no sleep with trying to work on the containment due to competing fires in the area.”

The BLM says the Hurricane Fire’s total acreage could increase from 12,703 acres back to more than 20,000 acres in the coming days due to mapping updates.

Johna Hurl, manager for the Carrizo Plain National Monument, says the fire could be a benefit for a possible super bloom next year because it is reducing grasses built up over the last couple years.