2:45 pm – Red Fire is up to 500 acres, but the IC just canceled one aircraft and put others on load and hold, so sounds like they are getting the upper hand on this one. Thankful. Now, we have to watch out through tomorrow for more lightening.

12:30 pm – IC for Red incident just reported LP going to a unified command and that fire activity has increased substantially. Unified means combined with Cal Fire and LPF as there are pockets of private property along the 58 corridor. They’ve added some more aircraft to the fire….HT 793, also several tankers.

Noon: The Red incident is at 80 acres and spotting.

LPF has 6 Tankers on order for the incident. Fire is running west. This is all brush and grass country, further west from Redhill, you get into heavy tall brush.

Tanker 103, 105 from Porterville on order. The Camatta Fire has retardant around 50% of the fire, so releasing one tank to Red, who requested 6.

IC is our very own Luke Krenkle.

11:27 am – looks like a possible third(?) on Cow Calf Highway? And a fourth(?) possible at 58 and La Panza?

Also from CHP:

Incident: 00076 Type: Road/Weather Conditions Location: Us101 N / San Marcos Rd Loc Desc: US101 N AT SAN MARCOS RD Lat/Lon: 35.722038 -120.697718
Detail Information
11:21 AM 1 [1] 9-CZP1 ADVSD OF LIGHTNING IN THE AREA // CLOSE TO TOUCHING THE GROUND

11:15 – Red Fire has these resources: C31LPF BC32LPF E16LPF 4X4 E31LPF 4X4 E335LPF E337LPF E47LPF 4X4 HEL530LPF PAT18LPF Q WT16SHF WT5LPF. On Camatta: 40-50 acres moderate rate of spread in grass and brush on the camatta incident

Lead Plane came out of Fresno,

There are 2 incidents, the first is the LPF-Red hill fire. This is in the area of Highway 58 and Redhill road, La Panza area which is the cutoff from Navajo Flats Campground to the 58. The second incident is the SLU Camatta, which is further west on the 58, but not by much. Also in what would most would call the La Panza area.

11 am – Two brush fires, probably started by lightening, started around 10:30 am. The first is near Red Hill, is called the Red Fire on FRA (Federal Responsibility Area – LPNF) and is 5 acres and the second is near Shell Creek and is called the Camatta Fire on SRA and is 40 acres. More as I get it.

10:45 am – just got notice of 2 lightening strike wildfire starts off of 58. I will add details as I get them.  Further, Flash Flood Watch issued for parts of SLO Co. One is near Red Hill Rd. The other near Shell Creek Rd.

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING…

The Flash Flood Watch continues for

* The Cuyama Valley, the San Luis Obispo County Interior Valleys,
the San Luis Obispo County Mountains, and the Santa Barbara
County Mountains.

* Through this evening

* Monsoonal moisture will bring a chance of showers and
thunderstorms to the area. Some thunderstorms may produce
intense downpours which could lead to flash flooding.

* Of particular concern for flash flooding will be locations in
and below the Whittier and Alamo burn areas.

10:15 am – I have been hearing low, distant, rumbling thunder for the last 15 mins. Hope it stays distant.

as of 3:00 AM PDT Wednesday…Radar returns overnight have indicated that showers moved from SLO County into southern Monterey County, although unlikely that we saw
measurable rainfall in our CWA. WV satellite loop clearly shows moisture streaming in from the southeast that is rotating around a strong ridge of high pressure centered over Nevada. This will lead to an increase in showers throughout the day. Latest guidance
is fairly similar from yesterday, so overall the forecast was only slightly modified. Main thinking has possible showers through Monterey and San Benito counties by later today with activity forecast to continue to move northward going into tonight and Thursday. Still looks like a slight chance for convection tomorrow for the Bay Area.

Along with the showers, isolated thunderstorms are possible as the combination of mid-level moisture and heating will put stability parameters (MUCAPE, modified total totals) to favorable levels. Fire weather concerns still a main focus as there is a potential
for any of the thunderstorms to have very little associated precipitation.

Neighbor who leaves for work at the ungodly hour of 4 am saw lightening this am, but fortunately all cloud-to-cloud strikes, no downstrikes. Completely clouded over since dawn here.

As they say in firefighting … heads on a swivel today and possibly tomorrow.