Category: Fire Season

Smoky Sunset Haze

9:30 pm – heard from someone who drove through Stoney Valley earlier this evening and said it was a slow burn that was putting out a LOT of smoke! Thanks for that clarification. As I expected.

8:30 pm – There is a smoky haze laying up over the fog layer on the coast, toward the north, coming in from the east. Clearly, this is smoke. There is also a smoke layer on the other side of the Santa Lucia Mountains.

I know about the control burn which FHL started about 10 am in Stoney Valley, and I know of the fast moving Bull Wildfire up in Kern County, in the Sequoia NF by Kernville and Riverkern. (That one really took off this afternoon, and is getting resources from all over the state.) As of 9:30 pm – 4500 acres and 6 homes have burned.

While Stoney Valley might explain our smoke, I doubt the Bull Fire does. If I hear of anything to explain what I am seeing, I will post later.

Citizen Fire Watch, Continues

So, on the way back up the hill on a Saturday night, I found more campers. This is what I saw:

Wait a minute, that’s firewood?

Yep, that’s what it is. There is no one in the camp, so I drive on down the road, and come across an older guy, and a younger gal. The guy is nice – to begin with, but the girl? She has a serious attitude problem. I speak with them, but she’s got a real problem, so I follow them back to their camp.

She doesn’t like to be photographed.

And she ca me toward me in my Jeep with her camera.

Oh, yeah, serious ATTITUDE. Trust me, I am doing nothing, saying nothing, other than photographing her. She does NOT like that! She keeps coming …

I have stayed in my Jeep, and yet she still keeps coming …

That’s some serious ATTITUDE, lady. Then she grabs my camera, and shoves it back in my face. Damn, that’s a battery. Now, remember, I haven’t gotten out of my Jeep, and I have said nothing to her, I’ve only photographed her.

Cute gal, with a serious problem! Then her “dad” had to step into the action, again at my driver’s window.

Man, these two REALLY did not want their photos taken! But “dad” when he stepped up to my window, looked in the back of my Jeep, and said, “This is your car?” Duh, I thought, and then he said, “You live up there?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Everyone knows me.”
Then “dad” said, “We will come find you.”
Oh, really, I thought. Okay, I’ve got two normal looking crazies coming up to find me. R-i-i-i-ght. Past a locked gate, 4 guard dogs, and to back it all up, a .357 S&W? I don’t think so.

Just a normal Saturday night in wild fire land. I just normally avoid these situations.

Citizen Fire Watch

I really hate that I have to “patrol” my area for yahoos, but I am beginning to realize it is part and parcel of living up here, and if I don’t want to face a fire this year, I have to keep an eye on the yahoos. I had several opportunities today.

First, I headed down the hill, and spotted this:

I was only mildly upset, because they had driven through my favorite meadow, and totally screwed up the wildflowers for next year, despite the signs.

And then I saw this – look into the center, and see the hatchet and wood for a fire.

Then I had to stop and tell them that a fire was a no-no, and what the consequences would be. I also stopped by the USFS, and showed them the photos. They promised to go up and speak with the campers, and I am sure they did. Thank you USFS!

Even though they were still camped in the meadow, they did not have any evidence of wood and hatchets, around. But that is not the end of the story of Citizen Fire Watch. More tomorrow.

Illegal Campfire #2 on Plaskett

I started to post a comment to yesterday’s post, but thought that in fact this should probably be a new post.

The current maximum fine for an illegal campfire is $5,000.00. Whether it is imposed, or how much is imposed, is quite another thing. From the order banning campfires in LPNF on June 26, 2010 until the rains: “A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 USC 551 and 18 USC 3559, 3571, and 3581.” In other words, it is a federal misdemeanor. A criminal act. You can read the entire order here:

Yesterday’s illegal campfire was in the exact same spot I posted at my “How not to build a campfire” which is here: it is the second fire ring, behind the grass up against the bushes.

What is distressing about these campfires is that they are below the only really populated area on Plaskett. Lots of structures. Fortunately, that portion of the road is often in the fog, and is regularly traveled by locals, and so fires there are usually caught in time to report them before they run amok.

Today, a friend found yet ANOTHER illegal campfire only a few hundred yards away from yesterday’s camp fire!! He reported it to the USFS. Now, if they actually fined these people the maximum (probably not, unless they have a history) that $10K could pay for some much needed work and/or equipment to actually prevent this sort of behavior. I would love to see tickets or arrests made for each and every illegal campfire, particularly where as here, the offenders are immediately caught. Until the current codes are enforced, regularly, the behavior will not stop.

Come on USFS. You can make some money here. Stop treating these people as lost, clueless souls, and treat them as the danger they really are.

Illegal Campfire on Plaskett Ridge Rd.

I was turning onto Plaskett Ridge Rd. from South Coast Ridge Rd. late this afternoon, when my phone announced a new voicemail. I had apparently been out-of-range, and was just receiving it.

Fortunately, there were TWO voice messages from a friend on another ridge. The first informed me of a fire on Plaskett Ridge, and asked for information. That got the adrenaline going.

The second, from the same friend, said it was an illegal campfire and it was caught and immediately put out. It included an apology for causing my heart attack with the first message.

I confirmed with my one and only neighbor the illegal campfire, but he added it had knocked two trees down, which the USFS was clearing. Whew! Going to be a hot summer for me on the ridge, in more ways than one! It makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever to have a campfire up here when the mercury is hovering around 100 for days on end.

Kinda glad I didn’t get home until all the shouting was over.

A challenge

Do you remember this photograph I posted of the yellow hills of Big Sur?

Valley View by Daniel Danbom

Well, I ran into Joe Burnett, biologist for the VWS’s Condor reintroduction program, last night and he suggested a challenge. If Jeff Norman were still around (we miss you Jeff!) this challenge would not be necessary.

This is the challenge – hike into Mt. Manual, and take close-up photographs of the various yellow flowers contributing to this unusual phenomena, and send them to me at kwnovoa@mac.com I will post them on my blog. If you know what they are, include that information. But even if you do NOT know what they are, send them in, and hopefully, someone can help us identify them. We will also see how much of what we are seeing is native or introduced.

Here is a close-up of one flower that is making the hills yellow, at least close to the highway. Is it also on Mt. Manual? I originally thought it was a tansy, but I believe that may be incorrect, and would love for someone to identify it for me. It is all over right now, in more abundance than I have ever seen – both in areas touched by the Basin Fire, and those untouched.

Do you know what this is? Barbara Woyt does. It is Eriophyllum staechadifolium or lizard tail, also known as Seaside Woolly Sunflower. Is it part of the display on Mt. Manuel? Get out there soon, as this display won’t last long in this hot weather! And send those photos in! Let’s all find out what is causing this unusual display! Thanks, Joe, for the challenge. Now let’s see if my readers are up for it!
(Note, this photo was not taken for the challenge, or it would be a closer shot. Here, I wanted the hills and ocean in the background, but a good photo for this challenge would clearly show the flowers AND the leaves for identification purposes as close-up as your camera would allow.)

7/16/10 Fires

BTW, I changed the title of this post, as there are so many small fires starting today. Most, if not all of them, are small and are being controlled quickly.

12:30 pm – WildCAD is reporting a new wild fire in Stoney Valley on Ft. Hunter Leggitt. That is mostly grass, so probably not a problem, unless winds pick up this afternoon. Although temps over 100 degrees may be a factor.

3:00 pm – Vegetation fire at the Dairy Creek Golf Course on HWY 1 between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. Dairy IC reporting 5 acres, rapid rate of spread, wind driven. Ordered some aircraft. Full response to Dairy Creek Golf Course of Hwy 1 near CMC [Calif Men’s Colony, State Prison]. 3403 reporting 5 acres rapid ROS wind driven up slope. Limited access through course. Potential for 150.

3:00 pm – The Bear Fire is under control, per my reliable information. There was another one at Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley Rd., but that one was also controlled by multiple AA and helios and ff units.

Weather was reporting lightning strikes moving north today, but so far nothing on the coast. Don’t know the cause of the 4 fires above.

As of 3 pm it is reported that: “2100+ strikes in the last 8 hours, most of them in California. Strongest cells are moving NE into NV.” Rain has been reported with these strikes, as well.

Bear Fire

07/16/2010 10:36 LPF-2134 Bear Wildfire Training area 27 FHL. Sam Jones Rd and Bear Trap Loop. 1/4 acre veg fire in training area 27. One source of mine says there is a CAL FIRE plane, but that report has not been verified.

I am off the mountain for a day, in Big Sur Valley meeting with a number of people for a number of things. I am hoping this one gets caught early and small!

Highway 166 Fire

UPDATE – As of 7 am this morning, July 13th, KSBY is reporting the fire at 450 acres and 80% contained.

This afternoon, a wildfire broke out near Cuyama on Highwy 166 near Wasioja Rd. By 4:30 pm this afternoon, it had scorched around 100 acres and it is estimated to be approximately 50% contained. While some structures, mostly outbuildings and ranch homes, are threatened, no evacuations have yet been ordered. Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County, CAL FIRE, and LPNF have all sent resources to the fire.

This photo is from KSBY in San Luis Obispo.

Highway 166 Fire, KSBY news photo

Here is a great link for scanner for SB fire covering the Highway 166 fire, although law enforcement is also mixed in: 166 fire scanner

There is a slight smoky inversion layer in front of Cone Peak that I can see from my desk. It cannot be coming from the Highway 166 fire, and I am unaware of anything else that could be contributing to the layer, other than if it is left-over smoke from the Los Bueyes Fire four days ago.

Lightning Strikes in East SLO Co.

5:30 pm – so many small fires – wildfires, illegal campfires or backyard burns, vehicle fires – on LPNF today, impossible to keep up. Anything gets beyond the small category, and I’ll follow up for you.

3:00 pm – just found a great fire predictive services podcast for Central and South California for today and next week. You can view it here: fire predictive podcast

11:00 am – IHC teams from Arroyo Grande being sent to the Chester Fire, which LPF WildCAD gives a start time of around 7:30 am. No info on the Navajo Fire. Storm moving over California Valley and into the Southern Sierras, with possible rain and lightning. One lightning strike hit in Southern Monterey County about 8 am, per NOAA.

Around 4:30 am, a series of lightning strikes were recorded in eastern SLO Co.

LPF WildCAD is reporting a fire SE of La Panza named “Chester.” WLF is reporting two fires, the other Navajo. Both are reportedly small, but with difficult access and no road access. I cannot see any smoke at this time, but do see lots of high clouds SE of me.