6:30 am = Day 9? Groan… Initial visual and weather. Cold, clear, and no wind. I have my window to the world back, and cannot see any plumes, at the moment. I’ll check again in an hour or so, and see what is visible and where. I’ve GOT to have a couple cups of coffee, first. Inciweb should report a pretty quiet night.

7:00 am – NO increase in acreage last night!! Still sitting at 12,168 acres. Containment is 37%, and all mandatory evacuations have been LIFTED!! YAY!! Evacuation watches still in effect. Growth potential has been downgraded from the “high” it has been listed at for 8 days, to “medium” currently. CDF crews have gone home, but engines are still here, personnel is down to 1253. All good news on the home front!

Of course, weather is heating up during the course of the week, so we are not out of the woods, but I do think the worst is behind us, and that the Jade Festival will be able to proceed as planned! Make sure you drop by the SCCLT Main/Information booth at the “front” entrance by the flag pole and say, “Hi.”

9:30 am – here is your morning visual, ladies & gentlemen. Isn’t it the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen? NO plumes!!

That is Cone Peak on the right, and Twin Peak on the left. There are still a contingency of fire trucks parked at the top of Prewitt Ridge.

10:00 am – the ex just called, and wants to be my driver, so I can go out and catch some “after” shots. Sounds like a good way to spend the day, to me. Despite rumors to the contrary (what WOULD the South Coast be without its rumors?) the ex and I are NOT involved again. He just likes to drive, get out, check things out, and right now, I am a good excuse! He misses being on the road and in the middle of the action, now that he is retired. The dozers are coming through here in the next hour or two, and will be “brushing” out Plasket.

9:00 pm – Tonight’s update:
Chalk Fire Evening Update – Oct. 5

Fire Statistics
Acres burned: 12,168
Miles of fireline to build: 21
Date started: 9/27/08 (evening)
Percent contained: 37%
Expected containment: 10/17/2008
Firefighter injuries to date: 11
Structures threatened: 9 residences; 15 outbuildings
Structures destroyed: 0
Suppression cost to date: $9.697 million

Firefighting Resources
Crews: 22
Engines: 61
Helicopters: 10
Air tankers: 2
Dozers: 9
Total personnel assigned: 1,208

I will post more, when I know more, but I am probably going to take most of today off, coming back with reports around 4 pm. It IS a beautiful, sunny, Sunday! 😎

Ah, so peaceful today, and restful. I have not left, and cannot see, so tonight, I thought I would offer some photos I took that I have not yet had a chance to post.

But before I do, let me recount the salient details of tonight’s inciweb report. Personnel is decreasing, and acreage is increasing. The current stats released at 7:30 pm are:
Acres: 12,168 Personnel: 1,319 Containment: 30%
“Current efforts focus on containment of northwest corner and holding southwest flank. Structure protection remains a priority.” Huh, oh, guess I better go check this out tomorrow – both flanks.
At 8:30 pm, Kathleen Good, PIO, USFS, reports there are 21 miles of fire line to build. Hmmm. there were only 20 miles at the beginning of this fire. Interesting.

Here are some prior photos, with dates and places taken:

Taken Sept. 29, 2008 at 1:19 pm on South Coast Ridge Rd.

This was taken on Sept. 29, 2008 at 4:00 pm in my front yard. Ron was driving this dozer. He was here in 1996 and did most of the work setting up the southern dozer line along my property in the Wild Fire of 1996. Yeah, Ron!

Sept. 30, 2008, 7:00 am – Dawn – from my back deck.

The original “Big Blow Up” occurred in 1910 in Idaho. In it, Ed Pulaski (the inventor of the now famous firefighter tool) led 45 firefighters to safety by hiding out in an old mine shaft he knew about. This is a much smaller Chalk Peak version. It happened east of South Coast Ridge Rd. on Fort Hunter Liggett on Sept. 30, 2008 at 10:45 am.

These firefighters were on South Coast Ridge Rd. on Sept. 30, 2008 at noon.

This is a couple of USFS firefighters I found near the intersection of Prewitt/Alms Ridge and Coast Ridge Rd. on Sept. 30, 2008 around 12:15 pm.

Red Hats, Blue Hats. I saw white, yellow, green, red, and blue. As I understand it, each colored hat stands for a different national forest. Please correct me if I am wrong. This shot was taken Sept. 30. 2008 at 12:30 pm at the intersection of Prewitt/Alms Ridge and South Coast Ridge Rd.

Depending on what happens tomorrow, I have some additional bomber shots I would like to post tomorrow night. Connection seems much faster at night, making uploading photos much easier. Whether it is because of my broadband, the internet traffic on my blog, or the internet fairies, I haven’t a clue.

9:00 pm, and I am signing off for the evening. More updates tomorrow.
bigsurkate

7:00 am – Good morning, everyone!
Well, the rains did come last night, there is still a VERY light drizzle. My rain gauge indicates I received only 1/4″ up here in the mtns. Good for the Valley, as THIS will certainly not trigger any debris flows. Of course, it could have been higher in the mtns. further north. This ought to slow the fire down, at least.

Low clouds and mountain fog prevent me from seeing anything today. At least it is not smoke!

Oh, and XT’s theory re the flames last night are that they were at the top of Hare Creek.

7:30 am – just got a check-in from my friend, Debbie, in Big Sur Valley. They received LESS than a 1/2 inch. There has been NO change in the Big Sur River, so this rain was just right for up there. YAY!~!

Inciweb is reporting the fire is now up to 11,968, and 22% contained. It reports: “Dempsey Flat, Biere (Baird) property, Macaruby (the Noc) and Alms property (Peter, Katie, et al) have been removed from the list of areas/residences threatened by the fire.” Also, “The main containment effort continues on the west flank to protect structures and minimize impact to Highway 1. Current weather may hamper suppression efforts for the next 12 hours.” Inciweb reports 9 injuries in the last 12 hours from 3 traffic accidents, but ALL 9 firefighters have been released from the hospital. Thank goodness. All of us on the South Coast send you wishes for a speedy recovery, and our thanks for your sacrifices. The rest of you, please be safe!!

I got my first call from someone coming to the Jade Festival next weekend regarding the status of the road which is open, and Plaskett Creek Campground, which was open for business, both, as of last night at 6:00 pm. As we know, many people come up to a week in advance to guarantee a camping spot at Plaskett. As far as we know, the Jade Festival is continuing as planned, unless the fire changes behavior between now and next Friday.

8:00 am – It is raining, again, and there are erratic winds. Seems to be a decent rain, not just drizzle. All dogs have decided to come in. They don’t like getting wet! While I don’t mind, when it is warm, I do not like a cold rain, which this is, so I’ll be staying in. Probably no photos today, friends.

9:00 am – Yesterday’s 3 and 8 pm inciweb reports stated: “On the south side of the fire, crews completed burning operations along *Willow Creek Rd* and McKern Rd to improve existing line.”

This is an error on inciweb’s part, as I was back there last night between 5-6 and saw no evidence of this. All burnouts were north of McKern Rd. I drove 1 miles south on SC Ridge Rd. and took photos. If there were plumes in the Willow Creek area, I would have seen them and panicked. I did neither.

Also just got a note from Geri re local rumors re Plaskett. Electric Bill came through around 8:30 am. Stopped and talked to me. He reported NO problems with the road. As always, my gates are open to LOCALS and FIREFIGHTERS only. I love all you guys, and I want to make life easier, not harder on my neighbors and friends. Of course, when the fire is contained, and all dangers cease, I’ll go back to being the bitch that I am. 😉 This applies to LOCALS only (the road part – the bitch part applies to everyone.) Tourists and Looky-Loos are definitely not welcome. Don’t make me sic my four dogs on you!

10:00 am – The morning report has been corrected to show the burnout operation successful at McKern, north to the intersection w/ Prewitt/Alm’s Ridge Rd. Willow Creek has nothing to do with anything in relation to this fire. USFS is reporting Willow Creek Day Use area closed, but again, that is yet another error. Mill Creek day use area was closed as of last evening, but Willow Creek day use area was OPEN. Sorry, but the USFS is putting out inaccurate information. The burn out being listed south to Willow Creek was a serious one, the day use camp, a minor one, in my opinion. Can’t even count on google earth, who has Gorda where Pacific Valley is!! Jeez.

Remember, above all, stay safe, everyone!!

11:00 am – This is an email I got from Mary that she allowed me to share. it is so beautiful.
“hi Kate
thank you for being there giving me the update on the fire through all of this. I’m so glad I was never stopped in my efforts to bring in food and supplies. I actually made it home that night when all hell broke loose. I had no idea that it was a back burn that I was driving through. When I got home I was all ready to fight this dragon. My boys then informed me we were riding safe. The boys said that they saw the smoke coming up the ridge and were getting ready for the battle when out of the blue comes a bulldozer cutting a line all the way over to Peter and Katie’s. Then another bulldozer follows behind doing the same thing. The planes dropped a line of retardant just on our side of the double wide bulldozer line. Then just when I was driving up from the bottom of your road, that’s when they started the back fire. We were so grateful! At first our upper water tank was empty with no water coming in. Jesse got a trickle going finally but we needed water now! When I got home I saw the weirdest collection of water collectors the boys had filled at the lower spring and brought them to the upper property around the little cabin.When the back fire happened we did have 600 gallons in our tank, but it was just the boys and I. Once again the fire brigade was called off duty, just like our 96 fire. We were told firefighters would not come to defend our property but that they would do all that they possibly could to prevent the fire from coming over the ridge. They did just that. It was GREAT! Finally we got lucky. These firefighters really knew their stuff. Kate, I was so proud of both my sons during this time. Monte’s 8 years with CDF really paid off! Ruth could not believe no homes were lost and I told her this fire was different. This community have lived here with one another for 20 years or more. We have helped raise each others children, helped with projects on each others land and we are one large family. During this fire everyone stayed to defend their property. I was able to bring in supplies and we were able to help our neighbors. We also had someone at each structure that was knowledgable with fires, like CDF, etc… We worked together, what a concept! I wish people would know how amazing this fire was. Everyone on the Mill Creek side live in a heavily wooded area and they made it, with a little help from their friends. Thank goodness we have Alms Ridge above us. Once again Kate, I want to thank you for your part in helping inform friends and family of what was going on. You were an asset!
much love, Mary”

At some point, I would like to start a separate page for the Chalk Fire stories. Please, EVERYONE who lived and is living through this, please be thinking about your story, and what you would like to share, photos, to, if you have them. Not just the residents, but the firefighters, the pilots, the dozer operators, the volunteers, the supply runners, all of us. Write them up and email them to me, marked “Chalk Fire Stories” and I’ll begin the compilation of all the stories of the fires. When you send your story, I will assume it is for publication on the Chalk Fire Stories page, unless you tell me otherwise. Also, please indicate if you want me to edit it. I would like the stories to remain true to the teller, so I anticipate providing only minimal editing to the process.

5:30 pm – It has been blissfully quiet today, very little traffic through here, no bombers or helicopters, and I managed a nap, on top of a good night’s sleep last night. I can report little, as I cannot see through the clouds, and have really not felt up to driving to the back or down to the coast today. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, I will have my window to the coast back. Have a good, safe, and peaceful evening, everyone.

I’ll post more, when I know more, but I intend to slow it down a bit in the next few days, and reclaim my life outside this blog. 😉

7:20 pm – I don’t know where this is, other than out if front of Cone Peak. I’ve lightened the shadows, so you can see it is out in front of Cone Peak, south and east. I do not recognize the ridge in front of the fire, and it is not visible in the daytime version posted below.

Now, compare that to this daytime shot I took a couple days ago from almost the same perspective. You can see the same pine tree on the right hand side, and you can match up the “notch” on top of Prewitt.

Anyone out there able to help me identify EXACTLY where this fire is?

Inciweb is reporting only a small gain in acreage today, up to 10,659 acres. It also reports: “Majority of containment effort continues on the west flank to protect structures and to minimize impact to Hwy 1. Forecasted weather may hamper suppression efforts for next 12 hours.”

I just heard from the parent of the injured firefighter. I was told that he is home and doing fine, other than bruised and sore. They wish to thank all fire personnel for their quick response and assistance to their son. He posted his comment on Night 5, if you’d like to read it. So glad to hear it!!

That’s it, folks. Movie night.

4:30 am – I cringed when I typed Day 7. A week … a week that has been longer than any other. Sleep is hard to come by, not just to me, but to everyone I have seen or talked to. Sleep came to me at 11:30 pm, but the smell of smoke woke me at 2 am. Strangely, despite seeing all the smoke, I haven’t smelled it much up here. But early this morning, it was strong enough to wake me. Then, the cold woke me up, and I had to get my silk long-johns on. That’s a good thing. I love silk long-johns! I dreamed of rain this morning, too much rain. A blessing for us, but a nightmare for our neighbors to the north. Let’s hope it was just my anxieties working themselves out during the dream state. It is so quiet and peaceful at this time – no traffic, no bombers, no helicopters. I am tempted to stay awake and enjoy it. I think I will resist that temptation.

6:30 am – This morning’s visual is gray — completely gray. I cannot see across the canyon – either one. No Prewitt Ridge visible, no Willow Creek top visible. I cannot see anything. No wonder I woke to the smell of smoke at 2 am. It is everywhere. I’m in a gray-out, so have little to report, EXCEPT, officially, the fire is now at 10,073 acres, creeping south to containment lines. (WHICH southern containment line, I would like to know, there are at least three!!) We are still sitting at 20% containment. 32 homes threatened, and 45 outbuildings.

7:00 am – We do have cool temps in the upper 50’s and no wind of any sort, and reports are still indicating a storm this evening. One concern, of course, is erratic winds. Oh, and K.C., if you are reading this, E.Z. has been calling every morning at 7 am to check on things.

Inciweb actually issued an update at 7 am. I’m impressed! In addition to what I reported at 6:30 am, I would add this from inciweb: “Continue to construct and improve line, contingency line construction, structure protection. Continue to engage in direct attack where it can be done safely. The majority of work will be concentrated on the west and south flanks.” Expected containment, October 17th, a week later than originally reported.

Won’t be any air show today, unless the smoke blows out of here.

9:00 am – Just to bring some levity, here is this morning’s visual:

Can’t say I don’t call ’em like I see ’em. I TOLD you there is no visibility up here!!

9:30 am -Additional offical information re weather: “A Pacific storm will approach the area late this afternoon. As the cold front nears, winds will increase, shift to the west and southwest and become erratic in the canyons. Fire activity is expected to increase. Some rain is expected after midnight. Winds will shift back to the northwest as the front passes. NOTE: a rereading of the report indicates *19* miles of fireline to build. Yesterday, it was down to *9* What happened?

Also a note for visitors, the Pheiffer State Park is closing its campgrounds Monday morning, October 6, 2008, for the entire winter in anticipation of the winter storms. They are taking out two bridges to prevent debris flow damage. It is expected to re-open again for the Memorial Day weekend, if not before. The Lodge will remain open during this time.

10:20 am – BSVFB just came racing through here like a bat out of hell. Usually, they are respectful about raising huge dust clouds. I do not like the implication. Can’t see anything, so don’t know why they were in such a gawdawful hurry!

I can hear bombers, but I can’t see anything. How can they?

Here is an interesting operations map released by the USFS at 6:00 am. Note the detail of the dozer lines.

From the CHP page: 11:57AM 1039 27-S2
11:53AM TO SET UP FOR THE FLAMES GETTING CLOSE TO RDWAY
11:53AM BUT WILL BE CLOSING TRAFFIC TO ALLOW FIRE
11:53AM ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO GO THRU
11:52AM **CHALK FIRE**
11:52AM GETTING CLOSE TO HWY 1
11:51AM 1097 W/CALTRANS
11:51AM FOR FIRE
11:50AM CLOSING RDWAY INTERMITTENTLY 10 MINS AT A TIME
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
11:50AM CHP Unit On Scene

Sorry, I am late getting this up. I am really beat. Was trying to rest. Note, there have been no updates on the CHP page since 11:57 am which says: 1039 27-S2 (It is code to me!)

5:00 pm – Just got back from a field trip to Highway One, and then back toward McKern Rd. with photos. Basically, it looks pretty good to me. The winds have picked up, and up here, at least, they seem to be coming out of the north.

This is pretty typical behavior of the fire I saw on Highway One, between Kirk Creek on the south and Limekiln on the north. There was a strong marine layer, cool and moist, and the fire was for the most part, creeping along the ground. It is right up to the pavement, in a few areas, but lots of crews, engines, water tenders, Cal-Trans, and CHP around. The next one, is a little less typical.

There were several instances of this type of fire behavior. All were at the top of the cliff face.

Back by McKern, things looked well under control. If anything, it may not have been burning as well as they would have liked. A caveat: I could not see the summit of McKern, up by South Coast Ridge Rd., however, I did not see any ominous plumes from that general direction.

6:00 pm – NOTICE; MODIS IS SHOWING A MYSTERY SPOT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PREWITT. I went and took visuals from two separate locations, and can see nothing, and no suspicious plumes. I also got ahold of PV Station, and they had seen the same MODIS spot, had checked it out, also nothing. One of MODIS’s infamous hallucinations, it looks like

Also, while out, I noticed that Plaskett Creek Campground was filing up for the weekend, and that Plaskett Ridge Rd. was still open to the public, so I called John Bradford, District Ranger. I actually reached him at the District Office. I said, “John, we have a problem.” “Oh?” “Yes, the campground is filling up for the weekend, and Plaskett Ridge Rd. is open. I will have to close my gates, if the public is allowed up here, and I’d really like to keep it open for the firefighters. So, if you agree that you want it open to firefighters, I suggest you close it to the public. You have a burn out going on in the back, and don’t want the public back there, anyway.” He agreed, and was to make some phone calls and pull last month’s barricade out of storage, or wherever it was. Thank you, John. I have to wonder, though, why did I have to be the one to think of this?

6:00 pm – Rich Phelphs, PIO, USFS just called, the sandwich boards are up, Plaskett is closed to the public.

I will post more when I know more.

8:00 pm I have heard from Betty, who is coming home tomorrow, and I got an email from Katee, all is good, so far, Mary Wargo just came through with a food run and will go as far as allowed, AND, Geri just wrote the following and asked me to post it:

A great big thanks to the BSVFB from the Baird Family. Thanks to JC Corley’s stubbornness, we were assigned engine 7834.
These guys ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone was so helpful and awesome. We still have a home because you guys stuck by us. I am certain in my heart, that had you left as so many “officials” wanted you to do, we would have burned. Instead we got air support. (Thanks Boone)
A Special thanks to Tom Greis, John Knight and Randy of the BSVFB. They stayed the entire time, and to Kerri Frangioso, Mary Wargo and also Keith Harlan for all his help, entertainment and support.
I know that I am forgetting people. Please do not be offended, I have eternal gratitude to all of you who helped spare Rocky, Shelagh, Kelson and myself the grief of losing all our dreams yet again.

And Kenny Jordan from he Sierra Hotshots- you are always welcome in our home!

Everyone in this community really pulled together on this and as a result, to this moment we all have our homes. Some of us have no water systems, some have foam in their systems, some have trashed yards but man we all still have our homes.

Geri Kavanagh-Baird

Geri is right. Our BSVFB has gone above and beyond what we could even hope for. Structure protection has been phenomenal. Six days and nights of madness, and we have not lost a single home!! Without the dedication and hard work of our volunteers, working along side the professional firefighting crews, the many wonderful dozer operators, and the phenomenal air support we have received, we would have been lost. Hey Geri, if you want to know the names of the pilots who laid retardant down by you, give me the Tanker number, and I can give you a name and number!!

and this is what is happening as I type up on Prewitt Ridge. Mary watched with me for a few minutes:

8:30 pm -Latest report indicates we are up to 9170 acres. 32 residences threatened. Containment at 20%. Current conditions – “The fire continues to be most active on the southeast flank. On the west flank, the fire is approaching Highway 1 between Pacific Valley and Limeklin. Cooler temperature and higher humidity will help fire fighters to hold the line at Highway 1. Crews will continue to provide structure protection on Prewitt Ridge and in the Pacific Valley and Limeklin areas. On the north east flank, the fire continues to progress slowly with a moderate rate of spread in the Ventana Wilderness. Extra caution is advised while driving on Highway 1 in the area of the fire, due to debris and the deployment of emergency equipment and crews.” Tomorrow, the fire crews intend to put their efforts on the southern and western flanks of the fire.

Here is a blow up of the same image. It could b possible flames to the right of the vehicles, just on the other side of the ridge, but it could also be headlight glow from a vehicle just over the ridge:

BTW, Santa Claus, if you are listening, I want a tripod for Christmas. Mine is a piece of crap. (LOL)

So, that is tonight’s report. Now, I will turn off the computer (but not the phone), climb in bed, and watch the first t.v. I have seen in almost a week. Get some sleep, and take care of yourselves, and above all, be safe!! We still have another day to face tomorrow.

bigsurkate

4:30 am -I am up WAY too early, but hope to catch another hour. Is it really only Day 6? I swear it has been at least two weeks!! In the mean time, Connie McCoy sent me a photo last night that is quite dramatic. It is was taken last night, around 9:00 pm from the Lucia cabins, looking south to the ridge above Limekiln’s south side, perhaps called Escondido Ridge. (Neither Connie or I are sure of its name-I’ve GOT to find my topo!!.)

THANKS, CONNIE — What an incredible shot. Stay safe, everyone, and as the thermals and modis last night indicated (See firefighter’s blog (Point of View) and Coast Communications in my blogroll to the right), and this photo proves, the Chalk Fire has reached the coast. If anyone hears that Highway One is closed, please let me know. As you can tell, I rarely sleep!

It will be interesting to see what the morning report has to say about the size of this fire, as this fire was going OFF on the south east side, and the north west side as the sun set.

7:00 am – a quick look outside and I see smoke in all the canyons, even Willow Creek. NOTE: NO FIRE IN WILLOW CREEK, just residual smoke. It is looking pretty knarly to the north of me. Current status of fire, as of 6:00 am is that 7,079 acres have burned. It is 20% contained. “Fire continues to move outward in all directions at a slow/moderate rate while containment and contingency lines are being constructed and strengthened. Fire has moved through many of the residential areas. Reports of successful protection efforts in Dempsey Flat/Nacaruby, Alms Property will be reflected at 1800.” There are currently 1473 personnel on the fire.

From the Plaskett Ridge perspective, the fire is north west of me, north, north east, and east, but still a safe distance. The rains should be here, before I am facing any threat.

Okay, now I have to have my COFFEE!!

8:30 am – This is the view this am. Prewitt Ridge is in the foreground.

9:00 am – We’ve got 3 helicopters, one Chinook, dipping water out of the ocean, and making drops. I will try to get some good shots of them this am.
Here is one, with the bucket trailing:

9:30 am – Here you can see three separate plumes coming from the other side of Prewitt Ridge. I cannot be sure where they are, but look like Wild Cattle/Mill Creek drainage areas, perhaps by the Noc. They “might” be burn outs, as the 6 am report indicated two things that lead me to this conclusion: One, that burnout operations were possible today, to protect structures, if conditions were right; And two, that they expect to be able to declare structures in this area as safe at the 6 pm report.

There is still quite a contingency of fire trucks at the top of Prewitt Ridge, as evidenced by this photo.

Here’s a shot of the Chinook in the Prewitt drainage. They are NOT making drops there, it is just the route they are taking.

A main concern, right now, is Highway One, and keeping it open.

10:30 am- just got a call from Phillip Darnell, Air Tanker Operations in Paso Robles. He wanted me to know that those absolute AWESOME tanker pilots flying T-23 and T-25 are respectively: Brent Connors and Bill Waldman. I cannot express my appreciation to these guys enough. If you’ve ever watched these bomber pilots, they are the gutsiest pilots I have EVER seen, all of them. Thank you, Phillip for the names of these guys. I will also post the correct pilot’s name on that page.

Here is a photograph of Tanker 55, being piloted by Dale Dahl taken yesterday of the drops on McKern. Look at that awesome roll-out, huh?

11 am -NEWS FLASH – JUST SPOKE TO RICH PHELPS, USFS PIO. THE WORD IS THE ROAD WILL BE *IMPACTED* NOT CLOSED THIS AFTERNOON, as Lindsey reports in the comment section. It will be necessary to proceed with caution, as the debris from the fire is falling on the road particularly between Limekiln and N-F Rd. 4 pm – Just spoke w/ John Bradford, USFS MD Ranger. NO plans to close highway, at this time. See below for full report.

NOON: i am not taking a field trip to the back at my usual time. Most of the areas of concern for me and my neighbors are to the north west, so I want to stay and keep an eye on it. Also, I am really beat, and am hoping to catch a short nap before the afternoon traffic picks up. Okay, one more note before I break. Scott Bogen, Mid Coast Fire Brigade, just posted a VERY timely warning and caution for us about fire behavior with the incoming storm. Winds are going to be a factor, which could change everything. PLEASE take a moment to read his comment below.

1:30 pm – a nap is not in the cards, apparently. Bombers flying over, dropping retardant just on the north side of Prewitr Ridge. I captured one. You can see the fire trucks on the right. Also, Ventura just dropped 2 firefighters off at the start of the dozer line down Home Ridge with all their gear for a little walk-about. Poor guys. At least they are going down hill!

Okay, I give up. I cannot get the Ventura Firefighter photo to show up. I’ll try later.

4 pm – The bombers are still flying over me. Cannot tell where they are dropping retardant. There are no longer three distinct sets of plumes behind Prewitt. It is all one big smoke screen. The clouds are building up behind Cone Peak. Here is the shot I just took. For those of you not from the South Coast, that is Cone Peak in the center. The ridge at the bottom is Prewitt Ridge. By now, most of you know the smoke is in the Alm’s Ridge/Mill Creek area. You can see several fire trucks spread out on the top of the ridge. The pine tree on the right, is on my property.

4:30 pm – Just got off the phone with John Bradford, the District Ranger for the Monterey District. At this time, the fire is creeping slowing down the hill. It is approximately 1/4 of a mile from the highway at Hare Canyon, across from Kirk Creek Campground. They actually expect it to reach Highway One, as there is no where else to stop it. USFS, CHP, and Cal-Trans are working closely together and have no plans to close Highway One. The most they expect to have to do, is to close one lane to clean up rolling debris, and they do not expect that to happen until tomorrow. On the east side, the fire is about 1/2 mile from McKern Rd., although it seems to have reached the summit portion. That is the containment line. The winds expected to proceed the storm, are expected to push the fire east, back in on itself.

XasauanaToday has acquired a copy of the USFS probability map. I can see why they would not want to release this to the public, but private citizens surely can, right? Of course, this was prepared 2 days ago, and this fire has not performed according to probabilities.

And please, if you get the chance, read the sweet comment posted in the comments section by one of the children, Allison Toombs, who was evacuated from her home at the beginning of this fire.

I will post more when I know more.

Second firefighter injury reported the past 12 hours. “Reported shoulder/neck injury from a tree limb, FF transported to hospital.” We send our wishes for a speedy recovery for this firefighter.

Please check out the thermals and maps on Coast Communications and Firefighterblog (Point of View), both in my blog roll to the left. The fire looks like it has reached the coast, everyone. This is NOT good!!

Nothing left tonight, I am afraid. This everyready bunny is runnin’ low and needs to recharge. Will try to post photos starting tomorrow morning.

Take care everyone, and be safe!!

7 am – Ready for another busy day, boys & girls? I will go outside and get a visual in a little while. In the mean time, I received this at 12:12 am: “well, it looks like the worst is over up here at JP’s. From about sunset until just a bit ago we had fire on three sides of us but the wind was at our backs which kept the smoke and ash out of our faces and also kept the flames meek (relatively)—-We just fired up the grill to have a late meal and will sleep well after!!-”

Offers of help are flowing in from the north coast. Joyce called yesterday and said she would do anything for anybody who needs help. She will run to town, whatever. We cried together when I read her Shelagh’s message last night. Kurt has offered to help in anyway he can. Mike Caplain offered brush-cutting and 150 gal. water pumping. He’s self-contained. EZ offered to gather friends and come assist. I’m sure I am forgetting someone. So, if anyone needs anything, get word to me, somehow, and I’ll post it on this page, and volunteers can sign up to bring them down in the comments section. (Thanks, Scott of Mid-Coast Fire Brigade for the idea!)

NOTE: Dave Allen has volunteered to pick up absolutely anything in town north tonight and bring down. See comments.

Resources have been increased to 1410 personnel on the line; fire is officially at 3760 acres, containment at 13%, and the threat to property has increased from 12 to 18 structures. The Nacimiento Station was saved. The Lutz property is expected to be threatened in 48 hours.

Visual this am is difficult, as there is a lot of dispersed smoke. Photographs will not be of much good, today, unless the winds shift.

8:30 am – Got word from Wild Cattle. Very smoky, can’t see across the canyon, but everyone okay there. Was relieved to get the update on JP, so thanks everyone for keeping us all informed! As Katee said, she KNOWS that when the time comes, she can count on BSVFB to be there helping protect structures. THANKS BSVFB!! You guys and gals are awesome!!

I am having the most delicious organic pear for breakfast, thanks to Billy and his friend who came through late last night on a food run for those in the fire’s path. Thanks, guys!

9:00 am – weather reports predicting possible rain, Friday night to Saturday. Let’s pray the predictions are correct, for once!!

11:30 am – had to get some work ready for the ex to overnight for me, so I could stay here, and take care of business. Andale to the rescue!! YAY!! Thanks, Ralphie (of course, those who know him, know he made me promise a certain sex act! Ha, ha.) Anyway, this is an email a ff at the Nacimiento Station sent to his mom. She gave me permission to post it:
hey
at the station tonight
we had to burn out around it so the fire wouldn’t make any big runs at it and potentially burn it up
pretty crazy here so far
good thing yall saw it when you did because it is all scorched now …
… been working some seriously long shifts, so i am pretty tired
gonna keep this message short and get some much needed sleep
will try to keep in touch whenever possible”

One of the Santa Barbara bosses came here to check out the dozer line, where it is, where it goes, to confirm how many houses up here, etc. Contingencies, I know. Gotta be ready.

NOON update – I am not going on a field day, today, as there is too much smoke, and while I have enough gas for the generator and to get to Cambria, I don’t have any spare. Ralph is picking up 10 gals for me, so I’ll be set for tomorrow, and will go out, if we aren’t completely blanketed by smoke, like today.

12:30 pm – Kimball reports, from the containment lines and the current thermals that thing are looking better on the south end, but worse on the east end.

1:30 pm – Monte just came through. He had been at Rocky & Geri’s house. My guess is (and it is only a guess) is that things are relatively safe at their house, now.

2:30 pm – The smoke has cleared, allowing some visibility. I am posting below two photos of Prewitt Ridge. One taken last night around sunset, the other, taken moments ago. USFS came through here a short while ago, to check the dozer line. That’s twice today. He did say they are not expecting the fire to get here, nor for my road to get graded. Oh, well. To me, it appears the smoke is moving west. Also I note, that the fire trucks are still there, only they are spread out along the ridge, not bunched in one area. My guess is that they are spotting.)


This one was taken just moments ago. Just before I took this shot, there was a flare-up right at the beginning of the column on the left side of the photo. Most fire trucks are gone, I can see only one, way back on the east side, well out of this photo. The fire is definitely traveling in a westerly direction in this part of the fire.

This is a helicopter over the ridge. You can see the red bucket hanging down, in front of the smoke.

Wild Cattle reports aobut a 1/2 hour ago: “a crew from kern county just showed up…2 little pumper trucks and 2 cars, about 10 guys to help out a little and get the lay of the land….I doubt if they will stay long…but they are clearing around Grace’s house…they don’t want to get trapped. Like I said before, I know the volunteers will be here at the right time.”

6:00 pm – There is a very worrisome red spot showing up on the thermals south of the Noc. Check Coast Communications listed in my blog roll. I saw flames, earlier behind the top of Prewitt, that per Jim, are not the same spot. Helicopter drops were working in the area, this afternoon, but I could not see where they were making their drops. Also, I drove out back this evening and just got back. I watched the bombing of McKern, and got some more retardant drop photos I will post, on a separate page again, later this evening. A big blow up appeared to be happening to the east of South Coast Ridge Rd., on Ft. Hunter-Leggett. I have quite a few photographs I want to post, buy I have been trying for an HOUR to get just one up. I will continue to try to get them up, but if the internet doesn’t cooperate, I may have to just give up, as I need some sleep. Mike Gilson sent me some photographs, too, and as they provide a completely different perspective, I would like to post one or two of those, also, but probably not tonight.

9:00 pm -The fire is now up to just over 5,000 acres, per the official evening report. This is of concern:

“Current Status: The fire was most active on the northwest flank today. There was also activity on the southeast flank. Crews worked through the day improving and constructing control lines and keeping Nacimiento-Fergusson Road clear of falling snags and rolling debris. Humidity levels are predicted to increase up to 40% this evening which will aid suppression efforts.

Crews and dozers will continue to construct and hold direct lines on both the north and south sides of Nacimiento -Fergusson Road. They will provide structure protection on Prewitt Ridge and will be preparing for structure protection in the Pacific Valley and Highway 1 area. Burning out operations will occur only when necessary and when crews feel the conditions are favorable. Firefighter and public safety will remain the highest priority. ”

With that bit of dismal news, I bid you good night. I want to have pleasant dreams of sugar plums and fairies, and cool green spaces, with lot of moisture bathing my skin.
I’ll post more, when I know more — tomorrow, not tonight.