Category: 2017 Fire Season

Brush Fire-Gilroy, 7/23/17

9 pm – Fire ran upslope in grass, hit the ridge, burned down the east slope under oak canopy where they got retardant around the head, C106 and C406 finished it off with quick turns out of a large ranch pond. Fast work on this one. Whew.

Fire crews are responding to a brush fire south of Gilroy on Sunday afternoon. The blaze is burning off Castro Valley Road, west of Highway 101, near Gavilan College. It’s not threatening the college. It started around 4 p.m., quickly spreading to 20 acres. There’s currently no containment. At 8 pm, it is up to 150 acres and 30% containment.

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Soberanes Fire, One year later

For many of us, this date will hit us hard, some will cry, some will silently remember whether they want to or not. None of us will forget where we were and what we were doing. Many, many people sent me photographs this day, some are posted on my first blog post here and then I did a second post when the evacuation of Palo Colorado was ordered that evening with even more photographs. It is here.

From that moment on, this fire took over our lives for months, and is still affecting us today, a year later. Take a moment in your day today to think about this land we love and what she has had to endure this last year and do a ceremony or ritual or simple prayer for her healing. She is in even more need now than she was then. Keep her in your thoughts today and every day. Don’t let her be overrun. NOTHING is more important than the land that brought us all here – locals and visitors alike.

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That square spot is a house. Photo by Kodiak Greenwood, sent to me by Lisa Kleissner.

Unless there is another Mud Creek or Soberanes today, I am taking it off to be quiet and reflect and honor Big Sur.

Fire Restrictions, Level 3 LPNF

NEWS RELEASE
Los Padres National Forest
For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrew Madsen
Twitter: @LosPadresNF
Elevated Fire Restrictions Take Effect in Los Padres National Forest

GOLETA, CA, July 19, 2017…Due to extremely dry vegetation and an increasing fire danger, Los Padres National Forest officials announced that Level III fire restrictions will go into effect immediately. The following restrictions will be rigorously enforced until this Forest Order expires:

Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest except for designated Campfire Use sites; however persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are allowed to use portable stoves and lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel outside of designated Campfire Use Sites. California Campfire Permits are available for free download from the Los Padres National Forest website (http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf). You must clear all flammable material for a distance of 10 feet in all directions from your camp stove, have a shovel available, and ensure that a responsible person attends the stove at all times when it is in use.

Recreational target shooting is prohibited in all areas of the National Forest unless specifically authorized by a special use permit with the Forest.

Hunting with a valid State of California hunting license during open hunting season is exempt from this restriction.

Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the national forest except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated Campfire Use Site.

Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order on roads and trails specifically designated for such use. (This restriction is in effect year-round.)

For further information regarding current conditions and safety tips, please contact your nearest Forest Service office. A list of designated Campfire Use Sites is available on the Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.

###

Forest Service Shield

Lee Beyer
Recreation Technician
Forest Service

Cambria Fire – Bridge Fire

At 5:00 – it is 35% contained and still only 3 acres. #BridgeIC (Final) Fire is looking good.Evacuations lifted.Main St. Still closed.@CALFIRE_SLO will remain at scene mopping up for 3 hours.

Photos below taken by Sekoya Sleeth, an 8th grade student at Pacific Valley School.

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This photo was taken by Joan Schleicher at about 2:30 pm from Santa Rosa Creek Road:

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3:20 calling it 3 acres, 20% contained, forward progress stopped. Will stay on site throughout the evening.

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Tribune Article Link

2:30 pm – think they held this one to 3 acres. Will keep following.

“From Cal Fire SLO (5 minutes ago): @CALFIRE_SLO #BridgeIC (update)fire is 3 Acres with fire fighters making progress. Evacuations have taken place for Main and Bridge Street.”

2 pm – A vegetation fire broke out in Cambria near Bridge St. and Main St. Currently, evacuations are in process. Currently about an acre. Will post more when I know more.

Fire near Parkfield – Park Fire, Garza Branch II

7 pm – 900 acres.

3:30 pm – 250-300 acres about to enter into Monterrey County. They have designated this the Garza, Branch II fire, for now. Oops, back to Park until the new team takes over the Garza.

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It is on the Fresno side. They are pulling resources off the Garza Fire and sending them to this one. “Per IC 75 Ares Still Dangerous Rate Of Spread.” Fire will be moving into Monterey County. Also will impact structures in parkfeild proper. 4319 heading into parkfeild proper to set up for structure defense.

 

Wildfire – Lucia

8:30 pm – it looks as if the heavy, immediate use of aircraft was successful, as I am hearing the smoke is gone and things seem to have quieted down out there.

6:40 pm – IC believes, if aircraft can pummel it from the air, they should be able to hold it. They have 5 planes on it right now.

6:20 pm –

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6: 15 pm-Arroyo Seco Gorge making it up to the ridgeline. This is a very remote area, which has a very long access time. Aircraft will be it for a while. Lucia IC requested a dozer to come in and open up a road for responding in units. LPF, BEU, and FHL responding.

LPF Engine 19 advising they cannot see entire fire, but it is running to the ridgeline. Requesting air resources to give better size up. And dozer to open up roads for access. This has potential to be a large fire, unless they can stop it from the air.

From WildCAD:

Recent Incidents (Prepared 07/12/2017 18:17)

Date Inc # Name Type Location WebComment Resources IC Fuels Acres Lat/Lon
07/12/2017 17:27 LPF-1825
LUCIA Wildfire SANTA LUCIA CR M . DIV1LPF E15LPF 4X4 E16LPF 4X4 E18LPF E319LPF E52SNF PAT17LPF Q PAT34LPF HUGHES Effective 7/12/17 @1750 HRS . . 36.177 x 121.464

 

 

 

Numerous Fires along the 101 in Paso

4:15 pm – apparently, these fires were small veg fires along 101 from Atascadero up to Paso so far…..I’ll bet some ones dragging a chain….we’ve got units from Atascadero, templeton, an Paso running 101 putting them out. Currently, all but one is small and mostly in the center lane. One is at Exline, which is very north end, where the PR RV Parks is. I’ve stayed there many times. This one bears watching. This is a mess. Read the CHP report below. Glad I am not in Paso today…

4: pm – I took the day to run to King City, so just catching up, here. Looks like someone drug a chain, and sparked a bunch of fires. Let me catch up and I’ll update, but in the mean time, here is the chp dispatch:

4:14 PM 38 [144] 1039 CALTRANS
4:14 PM 37 [143] 1039 9-L,MADE NOTIF TO DIV CHIEV//REQ ADV ENTAC IF UNITS ARENT ABLE TO OPEN A LN
4:12 PM 36 [140] [Notification] [CHP]-PRPD REQ CLOSE NB 46W ONR AND CLOSE THE NB RAMADA TURN LN TO WB 46W//PRPD HAS CITY STREET CREWS ENRT TO ASSIST [Shared]
4:08 PM 35 [134] 1039 CALTRANS // ALRDY HAS 2 SUPV ENRT TO AREA
4:06 PM 34 [132] B9-008B NB N SPRING OFR IS CLOSED // PASO PD HAS NB ONR CLOSED
4:06 PM 33 [131] 1039 9-L,REQ ADV ENTACT IF CLSOURE IS LONGER THAN 90 MINS
4:05 PM 32 [129] B9-001B 101 AT SR46W // DIVERTING TRFC OFF AT SR46W // TRAFFIC IS GRIDLOCKED
4:03 PM 31 [128] [CHP] has closed their incident [170711SL00170]
4:01 PM 30 [125] 1039 9-L
4:00 PM 29 [124] [Notification] [CHP]-RP ADVS 15-20 VEHS BEING 23103 NB 101 AT MAIN FLIPPING AROUND , NEAR TCS DUE TO FIRE IN THE AREA AND FRWY CLOSURE [Shared]
3:57 PM 28 [121] [Appended, 15:57:30] [1] RP ADV AT A CARE FACILITY NR THE FIRE JNO N SPRING,CONC ABOUT NEEDED TO EVAC PATIENTS
3:56 PM 27 [118] B9-008 ADDTL FIRE NB ON NB SPRING OFR AREA WILL 1023 TO ASSIST
3:39 PM 26 [117] [Notification] [CHP]-CAL FIRE L/L REQ UNIT SHUT DOWN SPRING ST OFR [Shared]
3:36 PM 25 [116] B9-004B NB 101 CLOSED AT SPRING
3:30 PM 24 [104] [Appended, 15:31:54] [1] RP ADVSD BRUSH FIRE NEAT STOCKDALE AND EXLINE
3:22 PM 23 [69] B9-001B VINEYARD OFR IS RE OPENED
3:21 PM 22 [67] [Notification] [CHP]-PER ATAS IF WE HAVE ANY UNITS RESPONDING TO THE FIRE IN THE CITY THEY CAN 1022 [Shared]
3:21 PM 21 [100] [Appended, 15:26:46] [22] [Notification] [CHP]-CAL FIRE ADVSD NOW STATING ADDITIONAL FIRES PASSING MONTEREY
3:19 PM 20 [46] B9-004B HAS S SPRING OFR CLOSED
3:18 PM 19 [45] FIRE ALSO RPTD SR46W // N SPRING // S SPRING // SR46E // MONTEREY
3:17 PM 18 [49] [Appended, 15:19:24] [2] BRUSH FIRE
3:16 PM 17 [52] [Appended, 15:19:29] [1] ADDTL CALLER ADVD FIRE STARTING AT SR46E
3:15 PM 16 [61] [Appended, 15:19:35] [9] [Appended, 15:15:55] [2] TOT CAL FIRE
3:15 PM 15 [60] [Appended, 15:19:35] [8] [Appended, 15:15:55] [1] FIRE BTWN N SPRING AND WELLSONA
3:14 PM 14 [57] [Appended, 15:19:35] [3] ANOTHER FIRE ON MONTEREY
3:13 PM 13 [55] [Appended, 15:19:35] [1] BRUSH FIRE
3:13 PM 12 [96] [Appended, 15:26:46] [29] [Appended, 15:24:18] [7] [Notification] [CHP]-PER CAL FIRE – RESP TRK FOR STARTING FIRES MAR FBED SEMI TRK JUST TOOK EB 46E FRM 101 OK 28 CHXM37
3:13 PM 11 [95] [Appended, 15:26:46] [28] [Appended, 15:24:18] [6] ADDTL FIRE AT 46W – CAL FIRE COPS
3:11 PM 10 [84] [Appended, 15:26:46] [13] B9-001B NB VINEYARD OFR IS CLOSED
3:10 PM 9 [42] [Notification] [CHP]-PER CALFIRE,BELIVES FIRES POSS STARTED BY VEH DRAGGING A CHAIN,REQ UNIT BOL [Shared]
3:08 PM 8 [72] [Appended, 15:26:46] [3] B9-001B VISUAL OF A FIRE AT VINEYARD
3:07 PM 7 [70] [Appended, 15:26:46] [1] FIRE STARTING ON THE LAS TABLAS ONR
3:06 PM 6 [40] [Appended, 15:09:31] [2] FIRE DEPT IN THE AREA
3:05 PM 5 [24] [Appended, 15:05:26] [1] CITZ STOPPED TRYING TO PUT OO FIRE
3:02 PM 4 [7] [Appended, 15:02:49] [1] FIRE STARTING ALONG RS
3:02 PM 3 [3] TOT APD FOR FIRE
3:02 PM 2 [4] [Appended, 15:02:22] [1] BRUSH FIRE ON RHS
3:01 PM 1 [1] BRUSH FIRE
Unit Information
3:19 PM 12 Unit Assigned
3:19 PM 11 Unit Enroute
3:19 PM 10 Unit At Scene
3:56 PM 9 Unit Assigned
3:56 PM 8 Unit Enroute
3:56 PM 7 Unit At Scene
3:56 PM 6 Unit Assigned
3:56 PM 5 Unit Enroute
4:06 PM 4 Unit Assigned
4:06 PM 3 Unit Enroute
4:10 PM 2 Unit Assigned
4:10 PM 1 Unit Enroute

Fire Updates, 7/10/17

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BTW, FRA is federal responsibility area and SRA is state area responsibility.

8:00 am –

Whittier – 10,823 acres and 10% containment (Lake Cachuma)

Alamo – 29,000 acres and 15% containment (E. of Santa Maria)

Stone -340 acres and 40% containment (Santa Margarita)

Parkfield -1816 acres and 80% containment (San Miguel) Unless there is a significant development, this will be the last report on this fire.

Garza – 5000 acres and 5% containment (Fresno/SLO/MoCo border)

New Fire in SLO Co – Stone Fire

5:00 pm – people and 2 of 3 horses okay. 1 horse MIA

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4:30 pm – here is a google map of where the Stone Fire started:

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4 pm – FYI – there is yet ANOTHER fire near the SLO/Monterey/Fresno line out on Jack Ranch near Chalone, but won’t be creating a new thread while Stone is threatening lives. Jack Ranch (the Garza Fire near the border of MoCo/SLO Co/Fresno) I will  come back to – maybe.

3:30 pm – from SLO OES: Evacuation Order for #StoneFire. HWY 58 from Huer Heuro north to O’Donovan & Shooting Star. Including Blue Rd, Blue Ridge, Isabel Rose Ln

3:00 pm – IC is asking for anything that’s available. “Structures are occupied, burning, and threatened”. 2-300 acres 7 Tankers en-route, No divert – Life threat for occupied structures

Photo by Nicklaus Johnson. Can see where the other fire burned just a week or two ago in Santa Margarita…

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2:30 pm – A new fire out near Huer Huero Rd near Creston just started and is up to 100 acres with RROS. Some structures involved and other strictures threatened. “All tankers diverted from the Whittier Incident to the Stone for immediate life threat to civilians.”

Not good at all…