Category: 2009 Fire Season

Highway Vandenberg Fire

5:00 pm – local news is reporting:
“Highway 1 re-opened just before 5 pm. So far the fire has burned more than 300 acres…There are 25 buildings on-base that have been evacuated…All non essential military personnel have been asked to evacuate VAFB and stand by for orders. The cause of the fire is blamed on a blown transformer. There are no reports of any buildings being burned in the fire.”

4:00 pm – Earlier today, a fire broke out on Highway One, near the main gate of Vandenburg Air Force Base. Much of the base was evacuated and Highway One was closed. At 3:15 it was 150 acres. Lots of air attack and strike teams have been responding on this one today, and as of 4:00 pm, it is reported by air attack that the fire is 400 acres and 80% “lined.” “Lined” is NOT the same as contained. This is being reported by gacc.nifc.gov as of 4 pm today:

“Highway Incident CA-AFV-003253 Fire reported at 288 + acres 0% percent containment burning in grass and medium brush. Threats / Values at risk Lompoc Federal penitentiary, Air force Village West and a major electrical transmission line in the fires perimeter. There are reports that the power to Vandenberg Air force Base is out to a majority of the base proper with some sections of the base are on back up power or generators. A Request for a Type 2 CIIMT has been placed to the GACC. There are a number of VLATs (Very Large Air tankers) are assigned.”

The DC-10 is working this one, but I don’t know what other VLATs.

There is live streaming video on Fox 11 (link below) which I cannot vouch for, as it is difficult for me to get live video with my connection.

MyFox11

Fillmore- Moorpark Fire

Here is the map of the Guiberson Fire from about 3 am from GeoMac. Triple digit temperatures, low RH recovery, and mild to moderate Santa Ana winds continue to drive this fire, which is currently about 8500 acres and 10% contained. Reports indicated 1000 homes and a number of commercial buildings are under evacuation. Moorpark College, as well as several other schools in the area are closed today.
fillmore fire

Fire near Fillmore & Moorpark, Ventura Co.

10:30 pm – latest reports put this fire at 8500 acres and growing. Strike teams being sent from all over the state, including from Monterey.

6:00 pm – Per Ventura Co. FD PIO Bill Nash at 1610 hours~”6000 acres….0% containment”

3:00 pm – the Ventura County fire is called “Guiberson.” Cal-Fire reports: “. . . now at 2300+ acres. 0% 200 homes evacuated. 300+ FF’s on scene.”

1:30 pm – 300 plus acres. Being reported live on ktla as well as the link below. Cal-Fire team 10 activated it looks like. Lots of long range spotting going on, due to winds of 30 mph, gusting to 52 mph.

Officials with the Ventura County Fire Department say over 300 acres of dry brush have already burned and the blaze is moving in a south, southwest direction. There are an estimated 200 homes or ranches in the area and evacuations have been ordered.

The area south of Fillmore, north of Broadway Road and east of Grimes Canyon are under evacuation order, according to Frank O’Hanlon of the Ventura County Sheriff’s department. O’Hanlon says ranchers in the area should leave as “quickly as possible.”

The wind is carrying embers and starting spot fires about one mile out from the fire, said Bill Nash, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

“The fire is moving quickly toward Moorpark,” Nash said. “It’s growing very quickly.”

12:30 pm

CBS local live feed

Wildlandfire is reporting 200 acres, but others report the visuals look much larger. it crested the ridge and is heading toward Moorpark.

Wiley Ridge RAWS shows Temp: 94.0° F Winds: 31 mph from NE Gusts: to 54 mph RH: 4% Fuel temp: 98.0° F

Nearest RAWS: here

11:45am Breaking News from KEYT Fillmore Fire
A fire that broke out this morning around 10:30 is continuing to burn near East Guiberson Road and Calumet Canyon Road over the hill toward Moorpark.

There are 8 air tankers and 4 firefighting helicopters currently battling the blaze, along with 46 firefighting engines.

Some of the resources that were working the Station Fire were reportedly diverted to help battle this blaze.

At last check it was two acres…but flames are visable…and there is a great deal of smoke seen throughout much of the area between Fillmore and Moorpark.

KEY News Bureau Chief Tracy Lehr is at the scene…and tells us that is extremely windy.

No homes are threatened at this point…however, the Fire Department is setting up structure protection on the Moorpark side of the fire.

The temperature in the very dry, windy area is currently 98 degrees.

Fire Safety

On the morning of September 18th, an unattended, still smoldering campfire was found in a meadow in Sycamore Canyon. Due to the efforts of local residents and members of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade, the incident did not cause a wildfire and became, instead, a simple reminder that we must all be extra vigilant during these last dry months before the rains dampen the extreme fire danger we face. We have a very hot, dry week ahead of us, so let us be exceedingly cautious. The months of September and October have seen many wildfires over the years. Living in the wildland as we do carries responsibilities for all of us.

We’re having a heat wave

I doubt anyone has missed this news. Keep an eye on the forecast, as predictions re this heat wave are changing daily, and as of 3:30 am, it may not be as bad as predicted yesterday, however, triple digits still anticipated for the mountains of Big Sur.

Drink lots of fluids … provide access to shade for your pets … run around naked and hose yourself down, if you can. A day or two is not bad, but a week?? I start melting at 100, but don’t turn into a puddle until 110, so I’m guessing I will survive. It is amazing how well wetting one’s head with cold water from the hose works!

Summer wants to leave us with something significant to remember her by, before the El Niño comes our way.

Red Flag Warning issued!!

In reviewing the weather report, I noted a 20% chance of rain and/ or thunderstorms throughout the weekend. The NOAA red flag warnings are going out to all areas from Big Sur north and east, just the various times it is expected to hit are changing. If you live anywhere in Northern California, you can see a listing of all the red flag warnings listed for the various areas at this link:

Cal Fire red flag warnings

NOAA update. The LAL for this event is listed as 6 for this approaching storm which is scheduled to arrive about midnight. NOAA explains LALs like this: “Lightning Activity Level (LAL) is a numerical rating ranging from 1 to 6 that represents observed or forecast frequency and characteristics of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning for a fire zone. The scale that determines the amount of activity is exponential and based upon a power of 2. For example, a LAL of 3 indicates twice the lightning as LAL 2. LAL of 4 is twice that of 3 and so forth. LAL 6 is special and rare – and only used for dry thunderstorms that create severe fire problems.”

.FIRE WEATHER…AS OF 8:55 PM FRIDAY…A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN
EFFECT. NO LIGHTING HAS BEEN REPORTED YET HOWEVER… THE UPPER
LEVEL LOW IS APPROACHING THE COAST AND IR IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUD TOP
ENHANCEMENT. A LINE OF COLD CLOUD TOPS…BETWEEN -35 AND -40C IS
APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES OFF OF THE MONTEREY COAST AND SHOULD REACH
THE COAST LINE BY 1200 UTC. THE LATEST MODEL RUNS ARE STILL
INDICATING ELEVATED INSTABILITY TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING FOR THE
CENTRAL COAST WITH THE GREATEST THREAT OVERNIGHT FROM SANTA CRUZ
NORTH TO THE GOLDEN GATE. TOMORROW AFTERNOON THE GREATEST THREAT
MOVES INTO THE NORTH BAY AREA. THE LIGHTNING EFFICIENCY IS VERY HIGH
AND EVEN A FEW STRIKES COULD QUICKLY BECOME PROBLEMATIC. ONE POSITIVE
IS THAT A COOLING TREND IS FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND WITH
WETTING RAIN POSSIBLE IN THE NORTH BAY BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.
****************************************************************************************

NOAA forecast discussion posted this for our area:

FIRE WEATHER…AS OF 2:30 PM FRIDAY…FIRE WEATHER WATCH WILL BE
UPGRADED TO A RED FLAG WARNING. NO STRIKES NOTED YET OVER THE OCEAN
BUT MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND 18Z MODELS
RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW HIGH POTENTIAL FOR SCENARIO UNFOLDING.
MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO INDICATE INSTABILITY WILL BE MAXIMIZED
AROUND SUNSET WEST OF BIG SUR AND THE SAN MATEO COAST…SO BEST BET
IS THAT FIRST STRIKES WILL OCCUR OVER THE OCEAN AND THEN PROPAGATE
NORTHWARD. THERE IS STILL THE POSSIBILITY THAT ALL PARAMETERS WONT
LINE UP AND WE SEE NO STRIKES. ANOTHER SCENARIO WOULD BE THAT ALL
THE LIGHTNING STAYS OFFSHORE. HOWEVER THREAT IS HIGH THAT STRIKES
WILL OCCUR AND PASS OVER THE REGION. RIGHT NOW THE BEST CHANCES
APPEAR TO BE OVER THE SF PENINSULA INCLUDING THE SANTA CRUZ
MOUNTAINS AND THEN THE ENTIRE NORTH BAY WHERE THE BEST CHANCES WILL
BE AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAVE INCLUDED THE MONTEREY RANGER DISTRICT OF
THE LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST AS WELL AS THE EAST BAY HILLS AND
DIABLO RANGE OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY BECAUSE ANY STRAY STRIKES IN
THESE AREAS WOULD HAVE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR NEW STARTS. LATEST FUELS
DATA INDICATES REGIONS LIGHT AND HEAVY FUELS AS WELL AS THE LIVE
FUEL MOISTURES ARE AT OR NEAR ALL TIME RECORD DRY LEVELS. BASICALLY
THE LIGHTNING EFFICIENCY IS VERY HIGH AND EVEN A FEW STRIKES COULD
QUICKLY BECOME PROBLEMATIC. ONE POSITIVE IS THAT COOLING TREND IS
FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND WITH WETTING RAIN POSSIBLE IN
THE NORTH BAY BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY.

Carmel Valley Fire

Early this morning, a fire broke out at a home on Tassajara Rd. The home was destroyed, and another building was partially destroyed, along with 2 vehicles. The occupants were able to get out and are not injured. CalFire, Carmel Valley Fire and Cachagua Volunteer Fire Brigade worked to prevent it from spreading to the surrounding vegetation. At last report, 1/2 acre is involved, no other structures currently threatened.

Kelly O’Brien of KUSP and Jamesburg reports: “The fire started at about 4:00 am this morning. The local CERT and Community Task Force member Greg Schermann began calling neighbors at about 5:00 am to warn them about the danger of this structure fire turning into a wildland fire.

The fire spread rapidly, and by the time Cachagua Fire crews arrived on scene – minutes after the start of the blaze – the fire had engulfed the entire house, casting firebrands over a wide area and threatening the brush and wildlands adjacent to the property.”

Here is a photo to provide an idea of the location taken by Kelly O’Brien. You can see the smoke from the fire, and the hill up which it could have easily run directly behind it:
IMG_0855
Kelly tells us: “Cachagua, Carmel Valley and Cal Fire Crews responded.

The hill you see behind the property was threatened, but thanks to quick, very regimented and thoughtful action, the house, which was engulfed in flames, did not turn into a wildland fire. This intersection is the only way out of the area for Jamesburg residents ( the direction from which I’m shooting the pic ).”

Tassajara House

“Remains of the house… one outbuilding was a also destroyed. The family is OK and all of their animals survived. The fire was believed started by a bad electrical connection… many extension cords were used on the property, and it’s possible that the one used to power a chicken coop heater may have caused the blaze,” Kelly O’Brien writes.

Thanks, Kelly for the great reporting and photos. I should have to pay you a salary — that is if I made anything from my blog!! Thank goodness KUSP can pay you!

And lastly, a huge THANK YOU to the men and women of Cachagua VFB, Carmel Valley Fire and Cal Fire Crews.

A little side note — this is my 500th post since I started this silly blog on July 5, 2008. A milestone, of sorts. 500 posts in 14 months. Whew!

The Magic Webcam

Mike, of Firefighter’s blog originally captured this Mt. Wilson webcam shot, but I just couldn’t resist posting it here, it is pure magic! Look at that moonbeam on the right. And to think no photographer took this shot!
towercamsept7

Mt. Wilson webcam

This was taken via the webcam at 4:00 am today, Sunday. Yes, I was awake at 4 am, but I did manage to go back to sleep.
Mt. Wilson Webcam

And here it is around 10:30 am:
Web Cam, Mt. Wilson Sun. 10;30 am

Here is one from 2:30 pm. Note the USFS FF on the road.
mt wison, sun aft

Here is tonight’s shot, taken a little before 11 pm. That’s the thing about fire, it is Janus – the two headed Roman God, looking both to the past and to the future. On the one hand, it is so very destructive. On the other, it can be quite beautiful.
Mt Wilson, Sun eve #2
Looks a little smaller than it did at 4 am.

And here is the link: Mt. Wilson webcam

Also, one of the scientists in charge of Mt. Wilson, arranged to fly out from Atlanta, GA a few days ago and is staying atop the Mt. He has been blogging about the experience here: Mt. Wilson blog

Station Fire was arson

At 6 pm tonight, the LA Times is reporting that the Station Fire was caused by an act of arson. Ken left a comment in my last post alerting me to this report. Thanks, Ken. The LA Times reports:

September 3, 2009 | 5:53 pm

The Station fire has been classified as an arson fire, and authorities have launched a homicide investigation.

The massive blaze, which killed two firefighters, has been under investigation for days, with the focus being on a road turnout along Angeles Crest Highway north of La Cañada Flintridge.

“Forensic examination has led this team effort to conclude … that it was an act of arson,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore.

The Station fire, which has burned about 144,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest, is the largest fire in L.A. County history. Two firefighters died Sunday during a rescue effort, when their vehicle plunged down a mountain.

On Wednesday, investigators hunched under a scorched, 20-foot-tall oak tree off Angeles Crest Highway, using wire mesh sifters to search through the ash in an attempt to determine whether the Station fire was deliberately set.

Near Mile Marker 29, authorities were treating the fire’s suspected ignition site as a crime scene. Yellow tape cordoned off the area and authorities blocked the highway, turning away even Caltrans workers and earthmovers. Members of the bomb squad also arrived at the scene but officials declined to say what their role was in the probe.

“We believe it is the point of origin,” Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mike McCormick said Wednesday. “They are doing a finely detailed, serious, serious search and investigation. We lost two firefighters in this.”

I was hoping for an accidental start, not arson. It is such a difficult crime for me to understand, frankly, and I’ve dealt with them all in my career as a criminal defense attorney. Only once did I have to defend someone who purposefully started a fire, and in that case, my client set fire to a cat. Pretty horrific and difficult to understand then, too.