Firefighters Battling Caldor Fire Looking Forward To Wet Weather

FRESH POND (CBS13) - The Caldor Fire is nearly 80 percent contained but it's been an uphill battle for crews facing high temperatures and strong winds over the last several weeks.

However, relief is in the forecast and fire crews are taking advantage.

"We're not relaxing at all," said Robert Szczepanek with the Ventura County Fire Department. He's part of the Caldor Fire Incident Management Team.

After a hot few weeks, rain and moisture on the horizon are welcomed weather for Caldor Fire crews.

"We will take advantage of the humidity and the rain," said Szczepanek. The forgiving conditions won't last long. It's a race against time to boost containment.

"We're expecting humidity tonight to move up into the 70%-90% range," said Shawn Palmquist, a Caldor Fire meteorologist.

We asked Palmquist how high humidity will help with the firefight.

"It will help moderate the fire behavior so they can get out on the line...and suppress things if necessary," he said.

Palmquist explains the mixture of heat, rain, and maybe even snow isn't uncommon for fall.

"Can't rule out a few snowflakes mixing in. Especially this time of year you see really big swings in weather," he said.

The unpredictable weather could continue to make fire season unpredictable as wildfires burn across California.

"When they all happen at once that kind of hurts us," said Szczepanek, who explains that 100% containment on the Caldor Fire will mean more resources for the state.

"Once we get a good handle of this fire then we start releasing equipment," he said.

It's a welcomed sight for evacuees who are looking forward to their towns returning to normal.

"I'm hoping and praying. It would absolutely be a blessing," said Fresh Pond resident Ashlee Rogers.

We asked experts about the potential for mudslides. They said that with plenty of burned areas and rain in the forecast, it's a possibility but unlikely as the rain is not expected to last for  long.