SANTA CRUZ--The battle against the nearly 7,000-acre Lockheed Fire hit a pivotal moment Saturday when fire crews capitalized on favorable weather conditions to increase containment of the blaze that has burned out-of-control in the remote forest between the communities of Swanton and Davenport since Wednesday night.

Firefighters are on track to reach full containment by August 23rd.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger received a briefing on the Lockheed Fire, as well as other blazes around the state Saturday morning in Watsonville. He promised the state would do all it could to protect property. About 250 homes are threatened, but only two out-buildings have been damaged in the fire, according to Cal Fire.

Mapping with Global Positioning Systems helped crews get a better understanding of the extent of the fire, which was burning about 8 miles northwest of Santa Cruz, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and on private property. They also provided the most accurate information about the size of the fire - and accounting for most of the increase since Friday, fire officials said.

Smoke from extinguished fires and blazing fires became indistinguishable as winds picked up a bit midday. Downtown Santa Cruz became completely blanketed by the smoke, forcing some people out and about to cover their mouths and noses with their shirts.

Haze also cloaked the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley.

The Monterey Unified Air Pollution District warned of poor air quality along a broad swath of the Central Coast on Friday and advised people with heart and lung disease, the elderly, children and pregnant women against prolonged exertion and to stay inside when possible. (Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Santa Maria fire tied to pot-growers

The La Brea Fire’s cause apparently is connected to an illegal marijuana-growing operation in Los Padres National Forest, and those involved may be trying to hike out of the forest, officials warned.

The cause was revealed after a week-long probe by fire investigators, U.S. Forest Service special agents and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit.

Investigators determined that the La Brea Fire was started by “a cooking fire in a marijuana drug trafficking operation,” officials said over the weekend.

The blaze that began just before 3 p.m. August 8th in the national forest east of the Santa Maria has charred about 85,000 acres. (Source: Santa Maria Times)

Story Date: August 17, 2009