Category: Fire Season

LPNF ELEVATES FIRE RESTRICTIONS

Los Padres National Forest Elevates Fire Restrictions

GOLETA, CA…Due to extremely dry vegetation and an increasing fire danger, Los Padres National Forest officials today announced that Level IV fire restrictions will go into effect beginning today, July 23, 2013. The following restrictions will be rigorously enforced until the end of the declared fire season:

Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest including 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 within the designated Campfire Use Sites only. 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 five 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; however, 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.

Fireworks are prohibited at all times and in all locations within Los Padres National Forest.

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, contact your nearest Forest Service office or visit the Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.

Tassajara Fire & weather

As most of you know, the Tassajara Fire is pretty much over. Yesterday, it was 217 acres and 90% contained, the last 10% has been inaccessible.

We have a monsoonal flow coming in from the south. Slight chance of rain and lightning, but very slight, NWS says for our area. Any lightning anticipated here or over the Sierras is expected to be “Wet” not dry. Winds last night were strong enough to displace my sun umbrella. Guess I’ll fold it up and put it away for the day.

From my perspective up here this am, light, fluffy clouds to the north of me, and dark, almost ominous, skies to the south.

Oh, and I could not get any photos of the rock shed Saturday to post here. It was socked in with fog on the coast.

Tassajara Fire, day two

1:00 pm – posted on wildlandfire, Cal Fire is being released, must not be any structure threats.

10:00 – acreage mapped at 169. 0% containment. Crews being flown in for direct attack. The smoke I have been watching all morning is quite dark. Still less than yesterday.

6:30 am – USFS is saying the forward motion of the fire has stopped, but it is still shaky. Today will tell the tale.

From here, the smoke is much less this am than it was last night.

Fire in Tassajara?

8:00 pm – the USFS lowered their estimate to 200-250 acres, per inciweb. If you know how to use inciweb, this is incident 3522.

5:00 pm – per USFS, 500 acres and 0% containment. I have a satellite map sent to me by
Kelly O’Brien of KUSP, and a resident of Jamesburg. It is about 1/3 of the way from the Zen Center to Chews Ridge, which is where my reader’s photo was taken. For perspective, itis about 12 miles due East of Big Sur’s Ventana Inn. IF my Internet ever cooperates tonight, I will get them up.

4:00 pm – major smoke visible behind Cone Peak. I have a photo, as well as a photo from a reader who is closer, but haven’t been able to either download or upload. Having trouble with my email, for some reason, natch. Not happy!

3:15 pm – smoke visible in Salinas Valley, per one commentator below. As he says, not a good sign.

2:45 pm – it is just north of the Zen Center and only 5 acres at this point, but trying to keep out of the river bed. If it gets into the river bed greater potential to spread, per Cal Fire. Aircraft are on it.

2:30 – LPNF WildCAD posted this, then stopped working at 1:38 –

07/17/2013 13:09 LPF-2176 Tassajara Smoke Check Tassajara Hot Springs . 7EDW1 BC11LPF CRW1LPF CRW4LPF DIV1LPF E16LPF 4X4 E17LPF E19LPF E338LPF 4X E37LPF E41LPF HEL527LPF HEL528LPF PAT17LPF F PAT18LPF F WT4LPF . . .

So the helicopters I heard might have been theirs. This indicates a “smoke check.” I have inquiries out, so will see what info I can get. As we are so aware, from the Basin Complex of 2008, Tassajara is Big Sur’s backyard.

2:00 pm – scanner traffic indicating a fire in Tassajara, and fire trucks from Big Sur seen heading out. I can hear helicopters, but don’t know if it is connected. Will continue to try to find additional Information.

Two Fires in last 1/2 hour

First, about 1/2 hour ago, at the corner of Templeton and Palomar, about 12 acres and 75% contained right now.

2nd one, just started, Highway One, just across from CMC. hopefully they will pick up this one fast, too. Downed power lines here.

Wildfire in Paso and a second near Bradley

5:00 pm – units being released from Adelaide both due to forward rate stopped, and resources needed for a fire off the 101 near Bradley. No further at this time on the MoCo fire.

2:30 pm – a wildfire at Adelaide and Vineyard, on the west side of Paso, about a mile past the cemetery started a bit ago. Four air tankers have already checked in at the Paso Airport, and numerous engines are either there or on their way. Originally estimated at 5 acres, but just reported at 60. Here is a photo taken by the initial A/A. I will continue to follow this this afternoon, but I am having Internet issues. I have a great overhead shot of this fire, but unable to upload at this time. Will continue to try throughout the evening.

Pinnacles Fire

1:45 pm – There is a wildfire 6 miles south of Pinnacles on Highway 25.
From IC: Approx 40 acres & holding. Should be able to handle with additional eng. enroute and be able to get around most of it with bulldozer. May reduce crew needs from 2 to 1.

Fourth of July in the Los Padres National Forest

Los Padres Urges Fourth of July Visitors to Exercise Caution

GOLETA, CA…Los Padres National Forest officials are reminding Fourth of July visitors that the possession or use of fireworks—including the “safe and sane” variety—is strictly prohibited in the forest at all times. Rangers and law enforcement officers patrolling the forest will be strictly enforcing the ban on July 4 and throughout the long weekend.
With the forest in Level III Fire Restrictions, recreational target shooting is also prohibited unless specifically authorized under a special use permit. Under current fire restrictions, campfires are permitted in Campfire Use Sites only. Campfires must be attended at all times by a responsible adult with a shovel and adequate supply of water to douse the fire. Forest officials strongly encourage visitors to take into account local weather conditions when deciding whether to have a campfire. A cooking fire within a day-use site on the Santa Barbara Ranger District caused the White Fire on Memorial Day when variable winds increased and pushed embers from the barbeque into nearby dry grass.

“We all have a responsibility when visiting the forest to take the appropriate steps to avoid a wildfire,” said Los Padres Forest Supervisor Peggy Hernandez. “This year has been extremely dry, and with hot temperatures in the forecast it is prudent to consider leaving the campfires for another time.”

Lanterns and portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are permitted outside of Campfire Use Sites, but only with a valid California Campfire Permit. Permits are available free-of-charge at any Forest Service office or online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf . All flammable materials within a distance of five feet from camp stoves must be cleared and a responsible person with a shovel must attend the stove at all times while it is in use.
Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the national forest except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated Campfire Use Site. Operating internal or external combustion engines requires a properly installed spark arrester, maintained. Avoid parking vehicles on grass as hot engines can ignite dry vegetation.

Know Before You Go by contacting the nearest Ranger Station for the latest conditions and updates.

Weather, 7/2/13

The Bay Area NWS modified today’s forecast to include a slight possibility of rain, which i noted on twitter. I don’t know why I was up at 5:30, but I happened to glance out my window westward several minutes later (7 or 8) and saw what I thought was two lightning strikes. Then I thought I was hallucinating, but I tweeted Bay Area NWS anyway, and they said:

NWSBayArea
@NWSBayArea
@bigsurkate Our lightning detection network just showed two strikes off the Big Sur Coast.. You’re not imagining.

Later, NWSBayArea said they were about 60 miles out.

Yesterday at 9:00 am, the outside temp recorded as 105 F. Last night it got below 85 for the first time since Friday – a cool 82. Needless-to-say, sleep is a hard commodity to come by.

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19 Firefighters lost in AZ

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LODD-

Our thoughts and prayers are with family, friends, and co-workers.

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Wildland firefighter foundation (click link to be taken there, and make a donation in memory of this hotshot crew)
The Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit organization, provides emergency financial assistance to the families of fallen firefighters, and helps support their young children. Families left behind often find themselves with few resources, and the Foundation steps in to help.

This wonderful organization was already on top of getting to the families of these fallen firefighters. The foundation is short on funds, especially for this many firefighters, so put out a call to all firefighters to donate. You don’t have to be a firefighter to donate.