Day: November 6, 2012

Fire on Fremont Peak? – North Fire

6:00 pm – was still black smoke from the FHL fire just before dark, but it was only 250 acres, and both the USFS and the FHL FD were working it, no evidence it was going to escape into the forest.

Got this eyewitness account from a reader, who forwarded it to me.
“Big fire in Prunedale today, 6 Nov2012! Been working for the last 8 days and upon returning, today at 1:20 p.m., I was helping at the Prunedale Grange voting site and spotted black smoke on the ridge above the American Legion in Prunedale. I heard a fire engine and called the am 1080 radio station so they could immediately alert families in the Prunedale area. They did. However, the other radio stations were running election news and I couldn’t get on the alert onto other stations. The grew bigger as it rapidly moved north up the ridge until we could see flames above the Eucalyptus trees. Embers were falling and a fire started just behind the American Legion. It was surprising how fast the embers started spreading the fire. I called my relatives on McGuffie Road because the fire could have also been on that side of the ridge. No one home so I raced over to their house. Because the wind was blowing east there home wasn’t at risk. About 35 minutes later a CalFire air plane flew over the fire. Meanwhile four fire trucks were above Prunedale North Road with firemen protecting dwellings as the planes dropped retardant. So all of us who paid the recent CalFire protection fee just received our money’s worth.”

4:45 pm – confirmed, North Fire (Fremont Peak) structure fire into vegetation. Evacuations in progress. Also, heavy smoke from South East of me, and a 400-500 a re fire reported on Ft. H-L, but no details yet. It is too far south for the previously mentioned CB near Old Stage Rd and Crazy Horse in North Salinas Valley. I’ll be watching all of this, and trying to get additional details.

4:15 pm – One of my readers reported a fire on Fremont Peak. I am trying to confirm that now. If you have any information, please add to the comments below. I will update as soon as I know more.

Prescribed Burn today in Salinas Valley

Prescribed Burn Planned for Election Day. MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif.
These things always worry me

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. – If you see smoke rising around the Salinas Valley on election day, don’t worry! Cal Fire says it’s conducting a prescribed burn in the area of Old Stage Road at Crazy Horse Road.

The burn is approximately 1,000 acres of brush and grass that is part of a plan to reduce flammable vegetation and will be visible from the Salinas Valley, Monterey Peninsula, Marina, North Monterey County, San Juan Bautista and Hollister Areas.

The burn is scheduled to begin around 10:00 a.m. and last until 5:00 Tuesday night with prime ignition planned between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.

There will be 16 fire engines, 2 helicopters, 2 dozers, 4 hand crews and about 20 overhead personnel totaling roughly 150 personnel. Local Government cooperators include Carmel Highlands Fire Protection District, San Benito County Fire Department, Salinas City Fire Department, Monterey County Regional Fire District, Soledad Fire Department, Fort Hunter Ligget Fire Department and North Monterey County Fire Protection District.

CAL FIRE, along with the National Weather Service and Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District have worked cooperatively to plan this burn under the best weather conditions for this location.

Weather, road repair, and photos

First, could the weather be any more beautiful? But watch for a major change. According to several reports, I could have a sprinkling of snow by Friday morning – so time to stock my wood box, while the weather is so wonderful.

“The rain won’t be widespread, with most of the shower activity developing along the coastal mountains where snow levels will drop to 2,500 feet by Friday morning. Modest accumulations
of snow (2- and 4-inches) are possible Friday across the Sierra foothills with a dusting also possible in the coastal mountains of the Central Coast.”

And this is the view that greeted me at the bottom of my road

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Then I got to Alder Creek … You know the place, where that major slide happened? Was that just last year? Anyway, Cal Trans has put netting up along the whole slide, but was working it again. I stopped and took these two photos … Note the draping, the rock-catching drapery walls, and the two climbers in the bright yellow on the left.

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Further down the road, the new chip sealing between the lighthouse and elephant seal beach was tying up traffic for 15-20 minutes. At least there was cell phone signal, so I could check email, surf (which I had not been able to do since Sat am at home) and all I had missed for a day and a half, so the time went by pretty fast.