La Brea Fire update, 8/10/09

9:00 pm – Reports below, but first a couple of photographs

Those of you who have been reading my blog over the last year, even if on and off, know of the crystal clear photos I have posted of my view to the north and Cone Peak. This was tonight, around 7 pm. That is ALL smoke, folks, and smoke from the La Brea Fire a county away!

And the sun tonight. But for the smoke, this would have been full of “flares” and blow-outs, and little would have been visible. Instead, the smoke shows us our sun in a different way.

Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 8:13 PM
Subject: La Brea Fire, Santa Barbara County, Update

Los Padres NF

∙ 14,778 acres, 0% contained
∙ Fire very active this afternoon
∙ 40-60 acre spot across ridge above Sierra Madre Road

Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 3:44 PM
Subject: La Brea Fire, Santa Barbara County – UPDATE

* Current acreage – 13,000 acres and 0% containment
* The fire is burning aggressively with two heads on it’s northern flank
* Orders for additional aircraft and 6 engine strike teams are being
processed

The entire forest and wilderness area around the La Brea fire is closed. You can see the boundaries of the closure and the order here:

The fire is almost 15,000 acres now, and still growing, still no containment. We are probably in this one for the long haul.

Smoke is quite visible any where above the fog. Ashes falling in Morro Bay, and areas south.

My friend, firefighterblog has posted a wonderful photo essay of the Zaca Fire which was just a mere two years ago. Click on this link:

This one could easily be the Zaca Fire reincarnated. Zaca burned over 240.000 acres for two months. Smoke could be a way of life for us in the Central Coast, just as it has been for Alaska this summer, where over 2 MILLION acres have burned.