Category: 2009 Fire Season

Just How Cold Is It?

I knew you were asking yourself that question. I haven’t looked at the thermometer, BUT, I can show you!

This was Monday night:

This was late this afternoon:

The water in the dog’s dish outside had been frozen for three DAYS! The lowest temperature I’ve ever recorded up here, and I don’t remember the year (would have to check all those calendars which are packed away) is 19 degrees, F. The highest has been 117 degrees. A land of extremes. That’s Big Sur.

And here is a great set of photos from the Mt. Wilson Observatory, one taken during the Station Fire, and the other taken yesterday. Firefighterblog put these together for us. Can you say Fire and Ice??

Snow Blankets 2009 California Fire Grounds

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3 Small Fires in Big Sur, all out

Around midnight, two fires ignited by downed power lines, due to high winds – one on El Sur Ranch and one near Pfeiffer State Park. Today, another one, near Captain Cooper School, also from power line. All three out due to rapid response from our Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade! Way to go, firefighters!!

Smoke Machine on Coast

A smoke machine was being used at Anderson Canyon for a film shoot, apparently without notice, so both the BSVFB and the USFS were called out. The same crew will be using smoke at Pfeiffer Beach, Lucia, Harlans and a few other places over the next few days.

Interestingly, this same crew managed to set fire to their room at Ventana today by leaving clothes drying near a light bulb. It is not clear exactly what happened, i.e. were the clothes too close, or did the light bulb break, or ?? Fortunately, the sprinklers in the room put it out.

Oh, great. Now we won’t know if this is real or Memorex.

Wind Advisory

…STRONG GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT WEDNESDAY…

Per the NOAA discussion: “WIND WILL CONTINUE TO PICK UP THROUGH
THE DAY TODAY WITH HIGHER ELEVATIONS EXPECTED TO GUST AS HIGH AS 60
MPH IN MANY LOCATIONS (WINDIEST SPOTS OF THE CWA SUCH AS MOUNT DIABLO
COULD EASILY HIT HURRICANE FORCE LEVELS OF 75 MPH FOR BRIEF PERIODS)”

As of this morning, Cal-Fire has issued this staffing request due to these late October winds:

O-1 Staff all Cal-Fire Crews 24 hrs a day
O-2 Staff one Strike Team Leader Crews per Camp 24 hrs a day
O-3 Staff as many Cal-Fire Engines the Unit can 4-0
O-4 Staff all Cal-Fire Dozers 24 hrs a day
O-5 Staff Unit ECC and Expanded as needed
O-6 Staff Sonoma, Redding, and Grass Valley AAB’s with 1 Air Attack and 1 Air Tanker each and support personnel as needed
O-7 Staff Cal-Fire Helitack Crews

Be very careful today. It is quite dry, despite the record rainfall on October 13th.

Loma Fire Update & Wind Advisory

As of 6:30 pm, Cal-Fire lists the Loma Fire as just under 500 acres and 55% contained.

9 am – No news on the Loma Fire. Still listed as 600 acres and 20% contained, per Cal-Fire at 7 am. All sources quiet since last night (that’s good) but a wind advisory has been issued. From NOAA discussion: “DECIDED TO ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY TO COVER THE HIGHER ELEVATION LOCATIONS WHERE WINDS WILL LOCALLY GUST CLOSE TO 60 MPH. FOR LOWER LYING AREAS…A BIT OF A TOUGHER CALL. HOWEVER THE STRONG SURFACE GRADIENT PLUS GOOD POSSIBILITY OF DOWNWARD FORCING OF WIND ABOVE THE SURFACE SHOULD PRODUCE LOCAL GUSTS OF 45 MPH OR EVEN GREATER.” This is for this evening through Wednesday.

Additionally, it looks as if our area will be dry all week, rain not anticipated. Fuel moisture levels are being reported at only 10%. Our great storm of October 13th did NOT end the fire season, unfortunately.

Be sure to read the comment to this post from a former Big Surian, now near the fire for her description.

Loma Fire

I’ve been off line all day (and then my son wanted to talk for an hour, just as I found out about this fire), so haven’t been following this until now, but I understand it is around 600 acres and 20% contained, up near Madonna Summit. Even I take a day off from the computer.

loma fire
Photo by Dan Dawson Photography (click link for more photographs), used with permission.

Here is a video Loma Fire also by Dan Dawson and used with permission.

Also, there are many, many road closures in the area, so please be sure to check the CHP link to the right, if you are traveling in the area tonight or tomorrow.

Continuous breaking news can be found at: ksbw

Homes are evacuated in the area. One prison inmate firefighter was injured and helicoptered to safety, after twisting his ankle in very steep terrain. Cal-Fire knew if the fire came his way, he would never be able to get out in time.

This one is very close to the footprint of the Summit Fire of last year. One firefighter has stated that it cannot get much bigger, possibly due to the lack of fuel. We shall hope he is correct.

Smoke

10:30 am – Quite a bit of smoke, north east from Cone Peak. Also being reported from north east of the Big Sur Gorge Will see what I can find out.

Looks like it may be a continuation of the controlled burn from yesterday, which was shut down to prevent the smoke drifting due to onshore winds into the Monterey area. Unless I can determine otherwise, it appears this smoke may be the Ft. Ord prescribed burn which they lit off again today.

Videos, maps, and other information available at ksbw.com

From the Salinas Californian: “The U.S. Army may pick up today where it left off Tuesday morning after unexpected shifting winds halted controlled burns on former Fort Ord lands.

The Army is burning off brush that is helping to conceal old munitions from the fort’s days as a military training base. Tuesday’s fire lasted about an hour and a half before Army officials called it off at 11:15 a.m.

The U.S. Army Fort Ord Base Realignment and Closure Office said Monday it planned to burn two areas, one of 257 acres and the other of 196 acres, near Eucalyptus and Orion roads, about two miles east of Seaside.”

Small Fire in Cambria already contained

10/2/09 9:00 am – KSBY reports: “Fire investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a 12 acre brush fire in Cambria.

Cal Fire crews say flames sparked around 1:15 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Eton Road and Schoolhouse Lane.

Firefighters had it contained within an hour.”

10/1/09 2:00 pm – CHP is reporting a fire at Eton Rd and Burton Dr. in Templeton (inaccurate), but the Burton Dr. I know about is in Cambria. Already in mop-up with 2 units remaining on scene, and cancelled all air attack. Looks like they got on this puppy FAST! God bless those firefighters! Eton Rd. and Burton Dr. is where the Cambria Nursery and Florist is. If you know the area, you know there are a lot of pines in the immediate area.

Highway Vandenberg Fire

2:00 pm – the detour up Harris Rd. has been closed to commercial vehicles due to safety concerns on the narrow, winding road.

1:30 pm – A flare up of yesterday’s fire has closed highway one near the base. More information as it becomes available.

From KSBY breaking news alerts; Highway 1 has been reclosed due to a flare up in between the Main Gate at Vandenberg and Lompoc, according to Lt. Ray Geoffroy.