Category: Fire Season

Vehicle over the Edge JSO of Lucia and Fire at Coast Gallery (separate incidents)

At 7:45 pm, highway one was shut down to facilitate recovery of the vehicle from the cliff.

From CHP: CHP reports this as a fatality, once they were able to reach the driver.

Detail Information4:09 PM12[22] A27-014 THE WITN 1097 W/ 14 AT THE SCENE4:05 PM11[20] [Notification] [CHP]-WHEN H70 COMES UP ON THE AIR, REQ ETA FOR MTRY COM4:01 PM10[18] 2 CUSTOMERS AT GORDA WHALE WATCHERS CAFE WITN THE TC 4:01 PM9[17] [Rotation Request Comment] 1039 CALIF W/HVY DUTY3:59 PM8[15] REQ 1185 EVID HVY DUTY3:59 PM7[14] [Notification] [CHP]-SALCOMM TRANS RP OVER WHO WITN TC, WAS TAKING PICS AND SAW A SMALL RED VEH HEADING NB HEARD SCREETCHING THEN VEH HIT A SIGN AND WENT DOWN, POSS A FORD MUST OR HOND, VEH APPEARED TO HAVE HIT DIRT AND LOST CONTROL RP STATED A VEH FULL OF XRAYS WAS CAME CLOSE TO BEING INV3:58 PM6[12] POSS 1144 ONE SUBJ EJECT / VEH APPX 300 FT DOWN ON THE BEACH3:49 PM5[11] 1039 S13:47 PM4[8] PER MTRY COM, RESCUE TEAM ENRT 3:32 PM3[5] VEH MAY HAVE GONE DOWN APPROX 200 FT3:32 PM2[4] SEV VEHS PULLED OVER ON RS, NOT INV3:31 PM1[2] VEH OVER THE SIDE Unit Information3:33 PM2Unit Assigned3:33 PM1Unit Enroute

Was reported to me as at Coast Gallery, and only 10×10′ spot. Now how did that get started? I’ve been in town south, so a tad slow on this, but windy as heck up here at Peidras Blancas.

03/31/2015 13:40 LPF-788
 Grimes Wildfire MM 1 41.1 M . 7EDW1 BC11LPF PAT18LPF Q Steve Dean Effective 15:48, 03/31/2015 Pompus grass .1 36.205 x 121.736

Forest Service Releases Cause of Pfeiffer Fire

This is the link to the reports. There are three parts.
pfeiffer fire report on cause

Here is the general link to the LPNF. Will add the specific link when I get a moment.
LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST HOME PAGE

Forest Service Releases Cause of Pfeiffer Fire

GOLETA, CA, December 3, 2014….U.S. Forest Service officials today announced the release of the Pfeiffer Fire investigation report which determined the cause of the fire to be a local water company’s electrical control wires creating a competent ignition source.

All other fire causes were investigated and excluded.

The Pfeiffer Fire began just before midnight December 15, 2013, on the Pfeiffer Ridge in Big Sur and eventually burned 917 acres.

The investigation report is accessible to the public on the Los Padres National Forest Internet website.

Smoke Drift

Later – it is quite possible that a controlled burn on FHL caused the smoke drift I saw. CB scheduled earlier in the month was cancelled due to winds and weather conditions.

6:00 pm – considerable smoke drift coming from North East of here. Doesn’t look particularly close, or threatening, but still investigating a possible cause. There was a smoke check at Mill Creek, but probably re this drift. One wildfire down in Fraiser Park, the opposite direction. If I find anything, I will post. If I cannot confirm where and what this is, I may not.

Tanker Crash

I am sure I have a photo of Tanker 81 out of Hollister from the Chalk Fire on my computer somewhere, but for now, I honor all the wildland firefighters, the family, and friends of all pilots, particularly this one, who risk their lives everyday.

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Here is a photo taken just after the crash by Ken Yager, who heard the crash, and snapped this.

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Fire on South Coast

8:10 pm -I can see the red flashing lights at the site, as well as headlights further down. The smoke has really dissipated, so I think our local crews have got this one under wraps. Whew! Thank you firefighters!

8 pm – column not nearly as distinct as it was 15 mins ago, so looks like ff may be on it. I will keep an eye on it until I go to sleep.

7:45 – column has grown has has the flat smoke coming off the top. Still small, but visible with the naked eye.

7:30 am – Can see a small column from here. Neighbor alerted me, as I was watching a movie, but definite column. I called it in, but USFS E17 already on the way. It is south and east of Lucia, looks like in the area of Ruth Harlan’s old place from here. I’ll keep an eye on it, but right now it is not too large.

CORRECTION – I have been informed it is near or on Morning Glory Ranch, which is slightly north and east of Lucia. I need better binoculars so I can study that terrain more thoroughly!

Three small wildfires in Santa Cruz Mountains

6:15 pm – From local KSBW news feed on twitter.on twitter:

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Interlake Fire

8:00 pm – there were eventually four fires – might have been someone dragging a chain, but all have been stopped.

“Foreword spread on all four fires stopped. Structure threat mitigated. Inner Lake Fire 50 acres, Oak Fire 10 acres, Lake Fire 6 acres. Very good stop by all resources.” (WLF hotlist.)
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5:00 pm – Oh dear. Got a couple of fires going in South Monterey Co.

CA-BEU- Interlake
South Monterey County near Lake lake San Antonio Bradley, CA

200 acres rapid rate of spread in heavy brush 3 Strike teams and structures are threatened , 4 air tankers 3 dozers

That’s just one. There is a second.

Pfeiffer Fire, 6 months later

The BSMAAC Meeting ended at 1:00 pm. I was meeting friends at 4:00 in Big Sur. Hm… Go to town or staying in Big Sur Valley?

Ray Sanborn was in the audience. He and his wife Celia lost their house. It has been six month, so I thought I would do a follow-up. I got the combo, directions, then went to lunch before I headed up the hill. I had my camera, so photos were to be taken, and a report written after I see it and talk to the residents.

Life always returns.

CPOA reported at the BSMAAC Meeting that they raised just over 1/2 million dollars, and have distributed just under that amount to homeowners and renters. Over $100,000 of the money collected was designated for a particular family or purpose. Ray Sanborn had nothing but good things to say about how CPOA handled the donations and distributions.

Tim Short, District Ranger reported that the investigation into the cause of the fire is still on-going. He apologized for the delay, but said it was a different branch, over which he had no control or influence.

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And sometimes, we throw the unexpected into the mix. As Celia did.

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The day I was there, Friday, they got the news that the county approved their temporary site, so this week, after six months in a motel room at Glen Oaks, they will be moving back onto their land, and they can work their magic daily.

Drought

from the CA OES:

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For the rest of this interesting article, click this link:

Intense Dry Times in The United States