Eric
Boldt, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, was
tracking the fire cloud on Sunday and says it originated in the San Ynez Mountains
of western Ventura County in the Los Padres National Forest on the border of
Santa Barbara. Using satellite imagery, he measured it at 30,000 feet tall.
"It's
basically like a thunderstorm," Boldt explains. "When we see these
clouds billowing so tall, it's the same mechanisms that are happening with a
thunderstorm. You're causing updrafts and air that's pushing the smoke higher.
It creates its own wind. If it starts to spin, that's where you can get more
wind and fast-moving progression of the fire. It can become a dangerous
situation for firefighters." -- SFGate
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