California Fire News

Inciweb update: Zaca Wildland Fire - 56,200 acres -70% Posted: 05 Aug 2007 12:12 PM CDT Zaca Wildland Fire Incident Information Announcements News Pictures Maps INCIDENT UPDATED Smoke from the Zaca Fire visible from Cuddy Valley in Kern County, Aug.4 Credit: Karen McKinley view pictures || view maps Summary Morning Update - Sunday August 5, 2007 Location: 15 miles northeast of Buellton, Santa Barbara County (where fire started) Joint Unified Incident Management Teams: Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Dept Start Date & Report Time: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 AM Acres: 56,200 Percent Containment: 70 Estimated Containment September 7, 2007 Hand Crews: 66 Bull Dozers: 15 Fire Engines: 120 Water Tenders: 27 Helicopters: 7 Type-I, 6 Type-II and 4 Type-III (operational during daylight hours only) Fixed Wing Air Tankers: 8 (operational during daylight hours only) Fixed Wing Air Attack Aircraft: 2 (operational during daylight hours only) Structures Threatened: 515 Fireline-to-Build: 36 miles Estimated Cost-to-Date: $47,100.000 Injuries: 12 Number of Personnel Currently Assigned to the Fire: 2,302 Significant Events: An EVACUATION ORDER for Paradise Road and Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibraltar Dam remains in effect. The Evacuation Order includes the Paradise Road Community, Santa Ynez Road Recreational Areas to Gibraltar Dam, Los Prietos Boys Camp and the Rancho Oso Guest Ranch. An EVACUATION ORDER continues for the Peachtree Community. An EVACUATION WARNING remains in place for Happy Canyon Road north of Baseline Avenue, including the ranches between Lake Cachuma and McKinley Ridge. The Los Padres National Forest expanded closure is in effect. The closure area is approximately 649,000 acres and is between Hwy 166 in northern Santa Barbara County and Highway 33 and Matilija Canyon in Ventura County. Detailed information on the closure can be found at http://www.inciweb.org/ or at your local Forest Service Office. Current Situation: The fire reached Happy Hollow, Old Man Mountain and Alexander Peak on the southwest side, and is continuing to burn to the northeast and south. Fire line to north continues to hold along the Mission Pine trail with the support of air tankers and hand crews. Due to the spread of the fire in both directions, and increasing complexity, two Type-1 National Incident Management teams and an Area Command Team have been ordered. A second fire camp will be set up in New Cuyama to support fire suppression efforts in the northeastern part of the fire. A section of Highway 154 remains closed. Smoke columns will be visible throughout the Central Coast. The fire line at the head of Peachtree Canyon continues to hold. Dozers continue to reinforce contingency lines in the existing fuel breaks near Paradise Rd. Structure protection groups are in place in the Peachtree and Paradise areas and continue working on improvements around structures. Engine companies and hand crews will begin working in the communities of Camino Cielo today to familiarize themselves with the area. Current Forest and Road Closures: · Happy Canyon Road is closed at Los Padres National Forest boundary. · Figueroa Mountain Road is closed at the Los Padres National Forest boundary. · East Camino Cielo is closed between Painted Cave Road and Gibraltar Road due to fire equipment traffic. · Paradise Road is within the Evacuation Order Area and is currently closed. · Hwy 154 is closed to general traffic between Foothill Road and Hwy 246. Residents in and around the San Marcos Pass (Hwy 154) area, should tune to 1040 AM. · Los Padres National Forest closure information and map are available at on this website, and at local Forest Service offices. Safety Message: Travelers near the area of the fire are asked to please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Additional Information: Smoke from the Zaca Fire may be visible over a wide area, with occasional drift smoke as far away as Santa Barbara, Goleta or other areas of the county. ### Basic Information Incident Type Wildland Fire Cause Human Caused Date of Origin 07/04/2007 at 1053 hrs. Location 15 miles NE of Buellton Incident Commander Aaron Gelobter/ Mark Schm Current Situation Total Personnel 2,302 Size 56,200 acres Percent Contained 70% Estimated Containment Date 09/07/2007 at hrs. Fuels Involved Chaparral. Oak,Conifer woodland,and brush, contain a heavy dead component. Live fuel moistures are at 51%, and are below critical levels. A continuous fuelbed lies ahead of the fire's dominant spread direction. Fire Behavior Fire activity diminished somewhat during the evening,as an inversion layer set in. Significant Events The fire continued to advance south and east during the night. Extreme fire behavior and poor access prevented direct handline construction along the east side of the fire. Outlook Planned Actions Direct line construction will continue where possible in all Divisions where there is active fire. Indirect line construction and preparation for burnout operations if necessary, will continue in portions of the west and south east sides of the fire. Bull Dozers are continuing to clean up of existing fuelbreaks that are to be used as contingency lines. Peachtree and Paradise Road structure protection groups have been re-inforced and continue improvements around structures. Projected Movement There is high potential for the fire to increase in size by several thousand acres this afternoon, after the inversion layer dissipates. Growth Potential Extreme. Terrain Difficulty Extreme. Containment Target The lack of access and rugged terrain require a long term strategy of both direct and indirect attack with contingency planning that is being implemented over a 5 to 6 week period. Remarks Not available Weather Current Wind Conditions 4-10 mph W Current Temperature 67 degrees Current Humidity 21 %

CALIFORNIA RED FLAGS - WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL COINCIDE WITH HUMIDITY VALUES OF 5 TO 15 PERCENT Posted: 05 Aug 2007 12:06 PM CDT Red flag warning remains in effect until 8 pm pdt this evening for strong winds and low humidity WESTERN LASSEN-EASTERN PLUMAS-EASTERN SIERRA-EASTERN NEVADA COUNTIES-GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHERN SIERRA FROM WESTERN LASSEN COUNTY SOUTH TO THE TAHOE BASIN. WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL COINCIDE WITH HUMIDITY VALUES OF 10 TO 20 PERCENT. THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS BEFORE WINDS DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET. Affected Counties or parts of: Modoc, Plumas, Placer, Mono, Lassen, El Dorado, Nevada, Sierra, Alpine, Sent: 2007-08-05T09:29:36-07:00 From: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV Red flag warning remains in effect until 10 pm pdt this evening for strong winds and low humidity MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING ACROSS MONO AND EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES. WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL COINCIDE WITH HUMIDITY VALUES OF 5 TO 15 PERCENT. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED NEAR AND NORTH OF MONO LAKE...WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 45 MPH LIKELY IN THE WEST WALKER RIVER CANYON. THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. Affected Counties or parts of: Modoc, Plumas, Placer, Mono, Lassen, El Dorado, Nevada, Sierra, Alpine, Sent: 2007-08-05T09:29:37-07:00 From: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV

The ZACA by weather satellite Posted: 05 Aug 2007 01:08 PM CDT The ZACA creating its own weather events... Weather event showing stream of moisture / winds heading right into ZACA Fire Credit: NOAA - weather satellite - main site The ZACA fire has capped out forming Ice caps as high as 25,000 feet repeatably yesterday and formed multiple heads at same time. Satellite Animation loops Southern California Credit: College of Dupage - Visible Satellite Animation This event is occurring again this morning click on the above link to watch animation Monterey 1km resolution sat image animation ZACA Fire detected hot spot map GEOMAC -Thermal Modis 08-05-07

CA-LPF- Zaca - Acres: 53,500 Posted: 05 Aug 2007 09:51 AM CDT ZACA Fire Summary Evening Update - Saturday August 4, 2007 Summary Acres: 53,500 Percent Containment: 70 Estimated Containment September 7, 2007 Hand Crews: 64 Bull Dozers: 15 Fire Engines: 114 Water Tenders: 27 Helicopters: 7 Type-I, 6 Type-II and 3Type-III (operational during daylight hours only) Fixed Wing Air Tankers: 8 on order for tomorrow (operational during daylight hours only) Fixed Wing Air Attack Aircraft: 2 (operational during daylight hours only) Structures Threatened: 515 Fireline-to-Build: 36 miles Estimated Cost-to-Date: $45.6 million Injuries: 12 Number of Personnel Currently Assigned to the Fire: 2,231 Significent Events: The fire made significant downhill runs southward into the Santa Cruz Creek drainage today. Aerial burnout was employed to minimize the impact of runs up against a dozer line defending the Peachtree community. The fire also made significant advances eastward in the East Fork of Santa Cruz Creek drainage, reaching Buckhorn Road at the (unoccupied)Bluff Guard Station. Winds out of the west benefited control along the western flanks of the fire, but increased fire activity along the east side of the fire, resulting in a large increase in acreage. Planned Actions: Direct line construction will continue where possible in all Divisions where there is active fire. Indirect line construction and preparation for burnout operations if necessary, will continue in portions of the west and south east sides of the fire. Bull Dozers are continuing to clean up of existing fuelbreaks that are to be used as contingency lines. Peachtree and Paradise Road structure protection groups have been re-inforced and continue improvements around structures.

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