Tag: Chimney Fire

Chimney Fire, part 3, 8/18/16-8/20/16

8/20/16 –

That’s Hearst Castle, center left. Looks small, doesn’t it?

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3:30 pm – All hell has broken loose on the Chimney Fire. Not only is Hearst Castle threatened, whole communities including Oak Shores and Byson Hesperia are threatened. One Unit is being sent to Highway One north of Hearst Castle. Reports that it has spotted across the Nacimiento River. Fort Hunter Liggett is in the process of prepping the northern end of Bryson and the southern portion of the base. It may outrun their efforts at this rate.

3:15 pm – from SLOStringer:

“All – activity has picked up on the North/West end of the Chimney Fire. Sheriffs Dept is in the process of issuing a reverse 911 to several areas in Oak Shore, South Shore, Christmas Cove, Hesperia Road and others to issue an evacuation warning. A “warning, but STRONGLY suggested… the wind is picking up”. Leave early – do not wait.”

As of last night, the fire was over 11,000 acres and 33% contained. Updated figures when I receive them.This morning it is 15,439 acres and 35% contained.

Here are John Chestnut’s maps for today. Looks like it is on the move.

 

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8/19/16 –

Another with the IR info included from John Chesnut. Most of these red areas along the Rocky Butte Truck trail (if not all of them) are from burn out operations:

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Here’s Cal Fire’s 7 a.m. incident update sheet on the Chimney Fire: Incident Update Sheet
Date: 8/19/2016 Time: 7:00 A.M.
Fire Information Line: 805-543-2444
Media Line: 805-242-3640
Structures Threatened: 232 Structures Destroyed: 45 Structures Damaged: 7
RESOURCES
Engines: 198 Water Tenders: 38 Helicopters: 13 Air Tankers: 7 Hand Crews: 71
Dozers: 38 Other: 3 Total Personnel: 2,559
Assisting Agencies: California Highway Patrol, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff, Red Cross, San Luis Obispo Office of Emergency Services, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Conservation Corps, PG&E, San Luis Obispo Air Quality Board, San Luis Obispo Public Works, Paso Robles Fire Department, Monterey Co. Water Resource Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Army Camp Roberts, USFS, CAL-OES
Current Situation:
Extreme fire behavior was observed overnight. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency in San Luis Obispo  County. High temperatures, low humidities and afternoon winds are expected to continue today. The fire continues to burn in steep, rugged and inaccessible terrain. Residents will continue to experience drift smoke throughout the region. For updates on air quality and smoke advisories, visit http://www.slocleanair.org
Work by the damage assessment team is ongoing.
For more information visit the CAL FIRE website at http://www.fire.ca.gov
Evacuations: Mandatory: The Communities of Running Deer Ranch, Tri-County, Cal Shasta, Rancho de Lago, and South Shore Village Road
Closures:
At the intersection of Chimney Rock Road and Running Deer Road.
Additional Information:
With summer weather and extreme drought conditions, we are asking everyone to continue to use
caution, “one less spark – one less wildfire”. For more information on how to prepare for wildfires, go to
http://www.readyforwildfire.org.
For text alerts – text “follow @CAL_FIRE” to 40404

8:00 am – From John Chesnut:

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7 am – still getting things sorted out, and the Soberanes Fire posts up, so back by about 8 or so.

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Here are some links I forgot to post this am (you will have to copy and paste until I get this sorted out)

IR Map

Click to access 20160818_Chimney_IR_TOPO.pdf

Progression map

Click to access Progression_arch_e_port_20160818_Chimney_CASLU008948.pdf

Ops

Click to access ops_IR_arch_e_port_20160818_0225_Chimney_CASLU008948.pdf

3:30 pm – from Highway 46, photo by Jen Smith:

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from Cambria, also Jen Smith:

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2:30 pm – plume from the fields south of San Carpoforo right now, photo by Jen Smith:

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Plume behind Hearst Castle, also by Jen Smith:

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9:30 am – perimeter map with proposed (x..x..x..x..x) dozer lines and completed (double hash marked) lines, which look to have been breached in a number of locations. The lined red areas on the perimeter are the hottest burning areas, with the fine dotted ones still burning, and then the Single dots are isolated hot spots.

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From John Chesnut, 2 maps. He says, ” I am sending you two versions — one with just the perimeter data and one with the VIIRs added, I don’t know which is more accurate, but the odd points in VIIRS could be erroneous.”

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Here’s the latest on the Chimney Fire, as posted this morning at http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1389
Chimney Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated: August 18, 2016 6:45 am
Date/Time Started: August 13,2016 4:05 pm
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo Unit
County: San Luis Obispo County
Location: Running Deer Rd & Chimney Rock Rd south of Lake Nacimiento
Acres Burned – Containment: 8,300 acres – 30% contained
Structures Threatened: 232
Structures Destroyed: 45 destroyed, 7 damaged
Evacuations: Mandatory: The Communities of Running Deer Ranch, Tri-County, Cal Shasta, Rancho de Lago, and South Shore Village
Road Closures: At the intersection of Chimney Rock Road and Running Deer Road.
Cause: Under Investigation
Cooperating Agencies: USFS, California Highway Patrol, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff, Red Cross, CAL-OES, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Conservation Corps, PG&E, San Luis Obispo Air Quality Board, San Luis Obispo Public Works, Paso Robles Fire Department, Monterey Co. Water Resource Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Army Camp Roberts.
Total Fire Personnel: 2,312
total Fire Engines: 165
Total Fire Crews: 68
Total Airtankers: 7
Total Helicopters: 13
Total Dozers: 28
Total Water Tenders: 34
Incident Management Team: CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 2
Long/Lat: -120.98316/35.70595
Conditions: Moderate fire behavior was observed today with short-range spotting and single-tree torching. To date, 32 residences and 13 outbuilding-type structures have been destroyed; with four residents and three outbuildings damaged. Work by the damage assessment team is ongoing.
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 2 is working collaboratively with PG&E to assess damage and restore services in affected areas. A damage assessment has been assigned to the incident. Tonight, firefighters will continue constructing containment lines while strengthening and securing control lines.
Additional Information:With summer weather and extreme drought conditions, we are asking everyone to continue to use caution, “one less spark – one less wildfire”.
Phone Numbers (805) 543-2444 (Fire Information Line )

Chimney Fire #2, 8/16/16-8/17/16

8/17/16 –

6:00 pm – It is now up 8000 acres and 25% containment. It jumped Chimney Rock RD. And firefighters have fallen back to a safe zone. Meanwhile, the Blue Cut is up to 65,000 acres, from 30,000 at 7 am this morning. Remapping has put that at considerably less, but still … Holy Moley

8:30 am – Here is John Chesnut’s IR map of the Chimney Fire, note it crossed Carrol Canyon:

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7:30 am – I am not all here this am, and too many fires to catch up on  while I have my morning coffee … Blue Cut is up to 30,000 and it hasn’t even been 24 hours, yet.

Chimney Fire Incident Information from Cal Fire:
Last Updated: August 17, 2016 7:30 am
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo Unit
County: San Luis Obispo County
Location: Running Deer Rd & Chimney Rock Rd south of Lake Nacimiento
Acres Burned – Containment: 7,300 acres – 25% contained
Structures Threatened: 232
Structures Destroyed: 40 destroyed, 6 damaged
Evacuations: Mandatory: The Communities of Running Deer Ranch, Tri-County, Cal Shasta, Rancho de Lago, and South Shore Village
Road Closures: At the intersection of Chimney Rock Road and Running Deer Road.
Cause: Under Investigation

3:00 pm – My attention is divided right now, by more than these two fires. I am keeping a close eye on the Blue Cut Fire in El Cajon that has closed the I15 freeway and the 138, and possibly others. I have family there – aunt and uncle in their 80’s and he has serious health issues. If you need more than I am posting, I suggest Twitter, and search for #ChimneyFire. I will come back and check in in a couple hours.

1:30 pm – Re the Chimney Fire, with an update from a resident of upper San Simeon Creek Road, on the east side of the ridge: “Went up this morning to pickup more animals and will hopefully go again this afternoon when the smoke clears to help a neighbor. All three residents right near me and including me have evacuated, but we are going back and forth to retrieve things. It was too smoky to see how close the fire has gotten, but the next door neighbor could hear the flames last night so he skedaddled. Rocky Butte and the communication tower is about 2.5 miles NW from our 3 properties.”

11:45 am – This is the Chimney Fire Camp at Mid-State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles, photo by Ray Martorano:

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9:30 am – Here is another IR map that provides  a different perspective, but in the one done by John Chestnut, one can see the proximity to the ocean at top left. Here, one can see the proximity to Rocky Butte, which is behind Hearst Castle. The white spot is the Lime Kiln quarry. The fire will have to go through Carroll Canyon, up the slope to Rocky Lookout, and then it is down San Simeon Creek Canyon, per one familiar with the area. Mine is limited in this area.

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6:50 IR map by John Chesnut
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The blue line above is the fire perimeter line from yesterday, Monday.

6:30 am – still gathering information, but as of last night, the fire was 5300 acres and 10% contained. It is heading west, toward Hearst Castle. I started this 2nd thread as the first one was getting buried among all the other posts. As of 6:40 am, Cal Fire PIO indicates this fire is now 6400 acres and still only 10% contained. At my place, the winds are calm, the sky is overcast, and the temps are, so far, cooler.

Here is a perimeter

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