Year: 2017

Fire on Jolon, behind North Shore MH Park

6:30 pm – 32 acres and 100% contained at 6:15 pm.

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4:55 – They’re calling backups. All the local departments to supply one engine. Salinas, Monterey, Greenfield, Camp Roberts.

4:35 from Google Earth (G18 is Jolon Rd. A road I travel often now. Also SLU sent at least 3471 and 3461. There may be others.

mobile park

4:30 from street view the MH Park where the fire is. BTW, Just added T80 from Hollister:

mobile 2

4:25 pm from flight tracker:

t75 shore

4:15 pm from WildCAD:

Shore

4 pm – I have been getting dispatch reports on this fire for the last 15 minutes. SLU
is sending units, in addition to the units from BEU. This is in the area of Bradley and Lake Nacimiento.

Detail Information
4:01 PM 5 [25] BEHIND NORTH SHORE MH PARK / CALLER DISC’D ON TRANS TO CDF/ 1039 CDF
3:51 PM 4 [13] [Notification] [CHP]-TOT FIRE, RP ADVING TRLRS ARE NOW CATCHING ON FIRE
3:49 PM 3 [7] [Notification] [CHP]-RP RECALLED, FIRE IS BEHIND THE TRLR PARK, FIRE HEADING TWD HER HOUSE///TOT FIRE
3:46 PM 2 [2] TOT FIRE
3:46 PM 1 [1] LRG WILDFIRE BEHIND THE RP’S HOUSE, SE’S SMOKE AND FLAMES

Cal Trans Photos (No change in update)

Photos of: 1-2) Mud Creek (PM 8.9) 1] Mud Creek, Tuesday, June 13, from north side. 2]“Pyramid Rock” at Mud Creek where new radar will be installed at Mud Creek—photo courtesy of John Madonna Construction; 3-5) Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) 3-4]Photos from Monday, June 12; 5]Photos of Paul’s Slide from Tuesday, June 13. 6-7) Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge Construction Site (PM 45.52) 6] Form tower slab/pour pile; 7] strip tower slab. 8) Convoy to PCB Construction site from Thursday, June 15.

*next convoy for Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge—scheduled for Tuesday, June 20.* (Not reproducing the update as there have been no changes since the last one, all reflected above in my “Introduction …” post.)

PM 8.9 Mud Creek 6.13.17mud creek 05PM 21.6 Paul's Slide1 6.12.17PM 21.6 Paul's Slide2 6.12.17PM 21.6 Paul's Slide 6.13.17PM 45.52 PCB-1 6.14.17PM 45.52 PCB-2 6.14.17Caltrans Convoy Photo 061517

Damage to Nacimiento Rd.

Tony Shelfo did an incredible job of documenting the damage to Nacimiento Rd on Wednesday and sent me upwards of 50 photos. Thank you, Tony.

I have chosen a few to share, but will keep all in a folder I started of the damage to Nacimiento. There are skid marks (braking by heavy trucks going downhill) which clearly show they are driving on the wrong side around corners, and cutting them, also the skid marks show they are driving way too fast for this road, adding to the damage it is suffering each day. There are skid marks like this on every single corner, but I am just showing a few. I am sending a representative sampling of these photos to MoCo Public Works and Cal Trans. Given the fire we had up here yesterday, access on this road is critical and the county and Cal Trans need to take responsibility for the actions of the contractors abusing this road. (Note, I am still waiting for the bridge inspection report, but with mail being spotty, at best, I hesitate to assign any responsibility for the delay.)

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Fire on Nacimiento Rd – fire named Fergusson.

UPDATE 11 am – fire is pretty much out. Aircraft released and back to Paso. Here are a trio of photos from one of the firefighters, Brandi Plaskett (yup, one of those descendants)

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From Rohana. Em called 911, I called the PV Station direct and spoke to a “live” person. This is on Nacimiento Rd. At approximately mm 4. Make sure and scroll for most up-to-date info.

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New pic just taken. It is clearly backing down the ridge in a south-westerly direction.

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Oh, this ought to play havoc with that massive convoy of trucks, supplies, and equipment today for the bridge.

At 9:27 am –

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Okay, ladies and gents, anytime now would be good.

9:35 am –

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Now would be a good time to send in those tankers.

9:41 USFS engine on site and flight tracker showing spotter plane over Lake Nacimiento:

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LPF resources are just coming on for the day, responding as they get the crews together.
Divs 1
BC 11
Crew 3
E15, 16, 319, 31
PAT 17, 18

BEU dispatched
Dozer 4641

May be running part of this on BEU.
AA on scene. 5 acres

MoCo sending resources

From WildCAD:

Nacimiento Update 1

Lead plane laying down smoke on site, T12 in Paso filling up:

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At 10:52 am –

IC is staging the Dozer for the time being.
I think they are probably making good progress, its all in the grass.
Additionally Tanker 12 has been canceled.

Radar to be redeployed at Mud Creek on Thursday.

IDS GeoRadar is providing the new radar technology for use on Mud Creek, which has been in place for some time, but is now being moved onto the bottom of the new slide area by the large boulder. Cal Trans is leading the nation in the use of this new technology outside the mining industry. It is also being used on Highway 101 at the Horseshoe Slide and art Paul’s Slide.

Yesterday’s San Jose Mercury News reports on this development, but I ran into a member of the IDS team last night at the hotel when I was talking  about the slide and showing some of my photographs. He said I seemed to know a lot about it, then told me who he was and a bit of what was going on. A Very fortuitous meeting and he has agreed to send me information about IDS’s participation in this monumental project.

You can read the article here: SJ Mercury News

Controlled burn, Stoney Valley on Weds. 6/14

From FHL:

“We’re conducting a controlled burn in Stoney Valley (TA12A and 12C) on Wednesday, June 14 around 9am lasting through the afternoon.”

More Convoys, 6/15 and 6/20

*Update #7*
CALTRANS ANNOUNCES NEXT TWO CONVOYS TO PFEIFFER CANYON BRIDGE—THIS THURSDAY, JUNE 15 AND NEXT TUESDAY, JUNE 20

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will continue the process of delivering construction equipment and materials to the site of the demolished Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on State Route 1 via Nacimiento-Fergusson Road from US Highway 101 on Thursday, June 15 and again on Tuesday, June 20. Some equipment will begin moving out one piece at a time, throughout the week.

These convoys will be escorted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and will include intermittent closures of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on Thursday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 20 from 7 am until 7 pm each day. Motorists wishing to travel east/west in the morning must do so before the first convoy begins. On Thursday, motorists will encounter delays during the movement of these four convoys westbound from 7 am to 10 am and 2 pm to 4 pm and eastbound from 11 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm. All vehicles must not exceed 30 feet in length and a weight of 15 tons.

The Thursday convoy again will include rock, sand, cement and reinforcing steel. The convoy for next Tuesday, June 20 will contain 10 loads of aggregate. Future convoys will include more of the same or similar, in general, materials and equipment to construct the abutment support and overall construction of the new Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge (PM 45.52)`

Town Run marathon

Once again (I swear I am staying home for a month when these appointments are done), but I thought you might like to see the aerial of Mud Creek I posted yesterday side-by-side with the same area BEFORE the slide as depicted by Google Earth, thanks to Everitt Chase. You got it perfectly, Ev. Thanks.

IMG_2720PM 8.9 Mud Creek Aerial--John Madonna 6.8.17

I’ll keep you posted on our only way in and out when I get a chance. Oh, and a nice article on the history of slides here in Big Sur by KQED HERE

Highway One Closure update, 6/12/17 & Thursday Convoy

Mud Creek remains completely closed. Paul’s Slide continues as it has been, opening times above in the “sticky” permanent post above. Aerial of Mud Creek by Madonna Construction:

PM 8.9 Mud Creek Aerial--John Madonna 6.8.17

 

Convoy times for 6/15/17:

*Update #6*
CALTRANS ANNOUNCES NEXT CONVOY TO PFEIFFER CANYON BRIDGE—LONG DELAYS EXPECTED

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will continue the process of delivering construction equipment and materials to the site of the demolished Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on State Route 1 via Nacimiento-Fergusson Road from US Highway 101 on Thursday, June 15. Some equipment will begin moving out one piece at a time, throughout the week.

These convoys will be escorted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and will include intermittent closures of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on Thursday, June 15 from 8 am until 7 pm. Motorists wishing to travel east/west in the morning must do so before the first convoy begins. On Thursday, motorists will encounter delays during the movement of these four convoys westbound from 8 am to 10 am and 2 pm to 4 pm and eastbound from 11 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm. All vehicles must not exceed 30 feet in length and a weight of 15 tons.

The Thursday convoy again will include rock, sand, cement and reinforcing steel. Future convoys will include more of the same, in general, materials and equipment to construct the abutment support and overall construction of the new Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge (PM 45.52).