The 2016 wildfire season in California is an extremely active one, with new fires igniting almost daily. Two of California's most problematic fires as of mid-August include the Rey Fire and the Cedar Fire. The Cedar Fire, which sparked on Tuesday Aug. 16, has grown to 20,000 acres, while the Rey Fire, ignited on Thursday Aug. 18 has burned through over 23,500 acres of land.

Containment efforts with these two fires are coming along slowly, with thousands of residents in the communities being affected by mandatory, precautionary, and suggested evacuation orders as well as mandatory road closures.

The Cedar Fire is currently affecting communities in both Kern and Tulare counties, and the Sequoia National Forest has issued a closure order for lands, roads, and trails near the blaze. As of the most recent update from InciWeb, the current fire behavior is described as moderately active, fueling on dry timber and brush in the local area.

The size of the fire was most recently measured at 19,629 acres and was at approximately five percent containment. Fire officials estimate a final containment date on or near Sept. 15, 2016.

Officials report that abundant smoke is being generated by this blaze, due to extremely dry vegetation that is fueling it. Most of the smoke produced during Sunday's firefighting effort, which came from the northeast side of the blaze (where it crossed Spear Creek) is now burning toward Sugarloaf Creek.

However, the Santa Ynez Watershed, a critical water source for the area, continues to remain under threat from the blaze. The Santa Ynez Creek and Lake Cachuma reportedly provide 80 percent of the water supply to the entire Santa Barbara area.

On the upside, fire officials say that despite "dramatic plumes of smoke" being seen along coastal areas, the Rey Fire moved closer toward deep wilderness areas over the weekend, straying away from communities populated with homes, residents, and other structures. Heavy smoke and plumes from the fire are anticipated to remain around the affected areas for the next several days, though.

There are not currently any residential evacuation mandates in place due to the Rey Fire, however there have been some changes in terms of road closures near the wildfire. State Highway 154 is now open in both directions between Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara, but Paradise Road remains closed for the foreseeable future.

Please check back in with us at LatinPost.com for further news and updates on these and other wildfires plaguing California during this 2016 season.