Cooler temperatures and increased humidity on Saturday were helping firefighters make progress as the Lake Fire entered its eighth day.

But the firefight is far from over, and crews face ongoing challenges from weather, rugged terrain, and the remote location of the blaze.

As of Saturday evening, the fire burning north of the Santa Ynez Valley had blackened 38,305 acres.

Containment remained at 19%, but incident managers said they expect that to increase by Sunday morning.

They also hope to reduce some evacuation orders to warnings at that time.

On the southwest front of the fire, in what is known as the South Zone, the situation overall was quiet.

Crews continued working to strengthen containment lines and douse hot spots.

Tactical backfire operations over the past few days — deliberately set by firefighters to deny fuel for the flames — have helped increase containment in those areas, and reduce or eliminate the danger to Santa Ynez Valley communities.

Fire More Active in North Zone

The fire, which began on July 5, remains more active in what is known as the North Zone, notably along upper Happy Canyon Road and in Sunset Valley heading down toward the Nira Trailhead into the San Rafael Wilderness.

Flames have gone through the Davy Brown Campground area, and crews on the ground and in the air are hoping to keep the fire out of the Manzana Creek drainage and from extending farther east into the wilderness.

A couple slop-overs occurred on Friday, but crews were able to contain them, officials said.

“The fire is expected to continue spreading to the southeast into fuels that have not seen fire in recent history toward the wilderness,” according to the morning update from incident commanders.

“On the north and east sides, it will continue to back down slope, making runs under slope-reversal condition. Significant upslope runs are likely to occur when fire encounters slope reversal.”

On the northwest front, the fire continues to back down toward the Sisquoc River, where crews had hoped to do some backfiring Saturday to slow or stop its progress.

But higher relative humidity and unfavorable winds have stymied those plans, according to Jason Wingard, operations sections chief for the incident management team.

Instead, firefighters “will be using aircraft to stop the fire right where it is. We’re really just going to try to park it there. And crews are looking to go in and go direct.”

Elsewhere, efforts were underway to protect historic structures in the backcountry, including the Manzana Schoolhouse and Dabney Cabin, Wingard said.

Firefighters have gained access to the fire’s edge in that area, Wingard noted, and have opened a road along the wilderness boundary, providing access to the east end of the blaze.

Chance of Rain in the Forecast

Scattered showers were reported Saturday morning throughout the county, and forecasters were calling for a 10-20% chance of thunderstorms. Of particular concern was the potential for dry lightning, which could spark new blazes.

However, an Excessive Heat Warning will remain in effect until 9 p.m. Saturday in the Lake Fire area, with weather conditions continuing to challenge firefighters.

Daytime high temperatures on the fire lines through the weekend are expected to be in the upper-80s and low-90s, with southwest winds of 6-12 mph, and gusts to 25 mph.

Those conditions are expected to continue through Tuesday before things heat up again.

Outlook for the Next Few Days

Over the next three days, “fire will continue to spread to the southeast and in areas of available fuel,” according to incident commanders. “Active burning overnight (will occur) above the marine layer.”

As of Saturday, there were 3,410 personnel assigned to the Lake Fire.

Click here for a list of evacuation orders, warnings and road closures.