Smoke has helped shade and moderate the flames but also stymied crews’ ability to work from the air, Zuniga said, leaving those on the ground to spray retardant on mountain ridges and around threatened communities. Clearing skies on the blaze’s northeast perimeter, meanwhile, have “led to more dynamic fire behavior,” Cal Fire said in a Sunday incident report. The agency said the blaze was 21 percent contained, with more than 5,000 people trying to keep it at bay and full containment not expected for weeks.