Dolan Fire, Day 6, 8/23/20

Dolan Fire intro

A note from Matt Harris, chief of Big Sur Fire: Closures on Highway 1 are hard closures. Note that if you leave beyond closure at #DolanFire, you will not be able to come back.

Please check back throughout the day for update, or refresh your browser window if you are keeping it open.

For Carmel/River Fire, see Here

Scroll down for A Red Flag Warning was issued for Sunday 5AM to Monday 5PM.

************************************************************************

DOLAN PUBLIC FIRE INFORMATION SOURCES:
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

For photos of all three fires, see here:

This is the link for the county created interactive evacuations map for all three fires. You can enter an address and find out the status. Nice job MoCo! Thank you. https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/administrative-office/office-of-emergency-services/response/2020-fires

*********************************************************************

10 pm, and the Dolan Fire daily briefing finally came through. This is my last point of the day/night. May the rest of the night and tomorrow be uneventful, weather-wise.

AUGUST 23, 2020 8:00 PM Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.govIncident Website:

inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018 Los Padres National Forest:

www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf

Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest\

Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF

Big Sur FD: https://bigsurfire.org/
Incident Information:Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: UnknownFuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understoryResources:Hand Crews: 9Engines: 42Dozers: 6 Size: 19,287Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big SurHelicopters: 4
Fixed wing: 1Water Tenders: 6
Current Situation:
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect and will be in place until Monday evening, August 24, at 5:00 p.m. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible, particularly this evening and into the early morning, and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds.
The fire is primarily backing, and the fire footprint has not significantly changed. Crews have made considerable progress creating dozer line to the North towards Partington Ridge. Crews began direct attack along the fire’s Southeast edge and continued point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia. Today, firefighters secured more of the western perimeter of the fire along Hwy 1. Falling rocks and the potential of spot fires across the road remain as concerns on Hwy 1.
Aerial resources took advantage of clear skies to assist ground resources with retardant and bucket drops. However, smoke impacted air operations. As air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets will support crews on the ground.
Today, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department entered into unified command with California Incident Management Team 2 and Big Sur Fire. The incident management team completed the move into a new incident command post at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Dolan Fire

California Interagency Incident Management Team 2

Public Information Phone: 831-272-0222

Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018

Incident Information

Basic Information

Current as of	8/23/2020, 10:09:04 PM
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Unknown
Date of Origin	Tuesday August 18th, 2020 approx. 08:15 PM
Location	Highway 1(MM 32.20) North of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles South of Big Sur
Incident Commander	USFS Mike Minton, ICT1 Big Sur FD Matt Harris, UIC
Incident Description	Wildfire
Coordinates	36.123 latitude, -121.602 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	579
Size	19,287 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	10%
Estimated Containment Date	Wednesday September 02nd, 2020 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Chaparral (6 feet)Brush (2 feet)Timber (Grass and Understory)
Significant Events	Active Flanking Short Crown Runs Backing

Outlook

Planned Actions

Crews in all divisions will continue to verify location, scout for opportunities to construct direct/indirect control lines, and evaluate need for point protection and structure defense.

Projected Incident Activity

Fire is burning on private land, the Los Padres National Forest Ventana wilderness. Fire is taking advantage of slope driven runs and dry fuel, moving up and down canyons, spotting and making erratic runs, fire movement in all directions, ie. west, south, north, and east. Area tends to burn actively in the evening hours driven by mid slope thermal weather activity. Concern that the smoke inversion will lift and the fire activity will increase. Predicted thunderstorms with high potential for extreme fire behavior due to outflow winds.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns

Mostly cloudy conditions prevailed across the incident as moisture from former Hurricane Genevieve streamed over the area. There were no thunderstorms or rain reported this afternoon. With the cloud cover, temperatures were a bit cooler and relative humidity was higher. A RED FLAG WARNING remained in effect due to the potential for dry thunderstorms. For tonight and Monday, the threat of dry thunderstorms will continue. So, the RED FLAG WARNING remains in effect until 500 PM Monday. At this time, the best chances for any thunderstorm development will be tonight and Monday morning.

Recent Articles

Dolan Fire Evening Update, August 23, 2020News – 27 min. agoPronóstico de Humo para 23/08 – 24/08News – 8 hrs. agoCentral Coast Fires Smoke Outlook, August 23 and 24News – 13 hrs. agoDolan Fire AM Update, August 23,2020News – 14 hrs. ago

Incident Cooperators

************************************************************************

Reports from the front lines are the Hermitage is still intact. The fire was “losing steam as it got closer.” (Brendon) CHP reported last night:

8:20 PM

[22] [Notification] [CHP]-[20] 27-D5 FIRE STARTING DOWN HILL AT LUCIA / ABOUT 200 YDS FROM ROAD / THEY ARE C4 W/ FIRE

And I have photos sent to me this am I will be posted shortly in a separate post.

**********************************************************************

Maps will be posted here on this post when I get them.

**********************************************************************

Dolan Fire Update AUGUST 23, 2020 8:00 AM
Public Information Phone: (831) 272-0222
Media Information Phone: (831) 272-0221 Incident E-mail: 2020.Dolan@firenet.gov
Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018
Incident Information:
Start / Report Date: Aug. 18, 2020 Cause: Unknown
Fuels Involved: Chaparral, Brush, Timber understory
Resources:
Hand Crews: 8 Engines: 31 Dozers: 6
Current Situation:
Los Padres National Forest: http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf Facebook: facebook.com/lospadresnationalforest Twitter: twitter.com/LosPadresNF
Big Sur FD: bigsurfire.org/
Size: 19,287
Location: Hwy 1(MM32.20) N of Limekiln State Park, 10 miles S of Big Sur
Helicopters: 4 Fixed wing: 1 Water Tenders: 6
Containment: 10% Injuries: 0
Total Personnel: 488
A Red Flag Warning is in effect today till 5:00 p.m. due to the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures that will contribute to extreme fire behavior. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation are possible and will be accompanied by erratic and gusty outflow winds between 30 and 65 mph across the fire area.
The fire remained active overnight, primarily with backing fire. Fire activity moderated in the early morning hours as humidity increased. Crews continued to focus on point protection operations around Hermitage and Lucia to the South and Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure to the North. The community of South Coast was secured.
An infrared equipped aircraft flew a mapping flight over the fire yesterday afternoon. This data was used to revise the perimeter and was the primary reason for the increase in acreage.
Today, operations will continue to focus on point protection as well as scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line using both heavy equipment and hand crews. Crews will also be checking the North Coast Ridge Road and working out any hotspots near the road. As the fire continues to burn along the eastern side of Highway 1, engines and crews continue will patrol and extinguish spot fires that are occurring across the highway. Winds are predicted to shift from predominantly north northwest to south southeast. This change in wind direction will shift the area of highest fire activity from the south end to the north end of the Dolan Fire.
Smoke will continue to impact air operations around the fire, limiting aircraft availability and effectiveness. When air quality and visibility improve, aviation assets including helicopters, will support crews on the ground.

The incident management team will be moving into a new incident command post today at Big Sur Pfeiffer State Park. The move is expected to take most of the day so there will not be a Facebook Live meeting. Information for the next Facebook Live meeting will be posted on Inciweb and shared through our daily update.
The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.
Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.
Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/ River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/
Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header).
Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect over the fire area for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty outflow winds.
Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.
The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.
Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. http://air.mbard.org/.
Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login
Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: National Weather Service, California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, Big Sur Volunteers, Cal Trans, California State Parks, OES, Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Safety Message: This will be a long duration event. Residents in the affected area are encouraged to continue to prepare for the possibility of fire in their area in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.
concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by
When the
stayingindoorswiththedoorsandwindowsclosedtoavoidbreathingsmoke. Updatesonthecurrentair
quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at

***********************************************************************

RED FLAG WEATHER ALERT:

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=CA125F5ED4DB70.RedFlagWarning.125F5EFF9040CA.MTRRFWMTR.46cc18930876afa62cc65a77b8c72bd3

The greatest threat for elevated thunderstorms will be from Sunday night into Monday morning. Lightning and gusty winds have the potential to produce new fire starts. Now is the time to prepare if a fire starts near you. Visit http://readyforwildfire.org for more info. #CaWx

Central Coast Smoke Outlook

Chance of incoming thunderstorms may increase fire behavior and produce more smoke but expect greater movement and dispersion of smoke with increase wind speeds. Areas south of the fires may see some improved air quality due predicted south winds.

Carmel/River Fires, Sunday, 8/23/20, Red Flag Warning

Carmel (Day 6) and River (Day 8) are combined into one post. Click the title to open a separate window, refresh this page throughout the day. Stay safe and smart. Please maintain situational awareness at all times. Scroll down for “unofficial” satellite imagery updated 7:05 AM. A Red Flag Warning was issued for Sunday 5AM to Monday 5PM. CalFire Incident page Carmel & River CalFire Facebook Updates here. Sheriff Facebook Updates here. Monterey County Office of Emergency Services Facebook here

118481705_3407750839340248_5940138907382507828_o

118308297_3407746439340688_6300624719114404539_o (1) 118197492_3407746996007299_8110255702323800627_o 118481705_3407750839340248_5940138907382507828_o

118308297_3407746439340688_6300624719114404539_o River 8.23 PM Update_Page_2 118239968_3407747246007274_5851070306436572611_o

4:25 PM: Carmel and River Fires Google Earth Image with VIIRS and MODIS Satellite and CDF Infrared Outline (white line from 08/20/20). The Latest satellite heat detection spots are from 3:42 AM PM. (please see Important Caveat note at the bottom of this post)

Click this link to view larger image: Carmel_River_Fire2_082320

#RiverFire and #CarmelFire 8.23.20 AM Operational Briefing

Carmel Fire Morning Update

Carmel Fire at 6,695 acres, 10% contained, 47 structures destroyed. The fire continued to burn up to existing containment lines and consumed interior islands of vegetation throughout the night. The fire behavior was moderate with fair humidity recovery. The fire is currently burning in close proximity to structures. The statewide drawdown of resources has impeded the critical need to support fire suppression of the fire. Most agencies are at drawdown and unable to fill resource requests. The lack of resource availability is affecting strategy and tactics.

Damage inspection is approximately 40% complete

118073676_3405930446188954_4078072131587627317_o

118121772_3405930616188937_4920473507677014873_o

118106396_3405930832855582_4919699335787893278_o

River Fire Morning Update

River Fire at 48,424 acres, 15% contained, 19 structures destroyed. Last night the southern portion of the fire continued to actively burn to the south with winds from the northwest. The east side continued to back down to the dozer lines and agricultural fields and interior islands continued to burn remaining fuel.

The fire is expected to continue to burn on the southern end of the fire. The wind shift will be the concern on the southern edge, allowing the fire to out grow the current lines on the southeast portion of the fire. If the fire moves too far south when the winds move to the southeast flow, it could merge into the Carmel Fire.

Damage inspection is approximately 45% complete.

118196290_3405922959523036_5887045903737819908_o

118297801_3405923106189688_2887124884250647005_o

118123000_3405923339522998_6989664168857890891_o

EVACUATION ORDER FOR HIGHWAY 68 AREAS, CARMEL VALLEY VILLAGE, ARROYO SECO AREAS, ETC.:

Evacuation Notifications here (note: select the DASHBOARD tab from a desktop computer for a detailed map with hot spots plus evacuation zones)

Evacuation Warning – Zone 24 ( Arroyo Seco Rd, Campgrounds and Pine Canyon Rd, outside of KingCity) 8:52 PM

Evacuation Order – R Zone 14 (River Road to Arroyo Seco) 5:00 PM

Evacuation Warning – Zone 21 (West on Carmel Valley Road from Pinetree Lane to Rancho San Carlos) 10:03 AM

Evacuation Warning – Zone 20 9:55 AM:

Evacuation Order – Zones 19 (West of Carmel Valley Road between Klondike Canyon and Pinetree Lane) 9:01 AM

Evacuation Order – Zone 17 and 18 (East of Carmel Valley Road to Laureless Grade and Highway 68) 9:00 AM

Evacuation Map can be found here (Red is Order, Yellow is Warning)

Resources for Evacuees

Monterey County is expanding its evacuation shelters to south Monterey County. Due to additional evacuations from the River Fire, an evacuation shelter is being opened at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, 625 Division Street in King City.

The shelter will open Sunday morning, August 23rd at 8 am and will provide sleeping and meal accommodations. Evacuees who wish to shelter using their RVs can bring them to the fairground and check in at the shelter. This shelter will be able to accommodate evacuees with pets.

The shelter will be able to accommodate approximately 40 residents and will follow COVID-19 protocols. Evacuees should have face coverings when entering the shelter and be prepared to social distance. Shelter sleeping arrangements are being set up with COVID-19 health protocols. Temperature checks will be taken for everyone’s safety.

Here is a list of all county evacuation shelters:

Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, 625 Division Street, King City
Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel
Sherwood Hall, 940 North Main Street, Salinas
Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey

The County also has an evacuation center at the King City Library, 402 Broadway, which provides information and support, snacks, water and charging for devices for evacuee. It is open 8 am to 8 pm.

For donations visit https://montereyco.recovers.org/ or go to the Seaside High School (2200 Noche Buena St, Seaside, CA 93955) between noon and 5pm Today August 23rd. You can also pick up supplies such as food, water, clothing, pet food, and diapers at the Seaside High School Location

For the most up to date and detailed information visit: www.co.monterey.ca.us/2020fires

From SPCA: The SPCA is currently under an evacuation warning. We are safe, and we are here for you and your pets. We have been prepared for this for years. We are currently moving supplies and animals to the Monterey County Fairgrounds and Hitchcock Road Animal Services. We are doing this now so that we can continue our promise to always be here for you.

7:05 AM: Carmel and River Fires Google Earth Image with VIIRS and MODIS Satellite and CDF Infrared Outline (white line from 08/20/20). The Latest satellite heat detection spots are from 2:54 AM PT (please see Important Caveat note at the bottom of this post)

Click this link to view larger image: Carmel_River_Fire_082320

Palo Escrito View: Carmel_River_Fire_Escrito_082320

Sleepy Hollow View: Carmel_River_Fire_Sleepy_082320

Maps by John Chesnut: River 8_23 AM

Carmel 8_23 AM v2

PIO Maps:

Saturday Evening CalFire Update:

Weather Watch in effect:

117990470_4213432035398787_4692311388280442201_n

Yesterday’s Contingency Map (large PDF file with current CalFire contingency lines): Contingency_36x48_Land_20200821_0447

con2

Yesterday’s PIO Map: PIO 112×17 8-22

pio

Incident Cooperators

For other information sources see:

Office of Emergency Services response page here
Quick reference of key resources to stay up-to-date here
National interagency Fire Center Map can be found here
Current Wind can be found here
Alert Wildfire Camera here
Scanner Fire & Sheriff
Air Traffic here
Road Closures here
CalFire’s Ready, Set, Go! Checklist here (see page 9)
Twitter links: #RiverFire and #CarmelFire

Important caveats: Please note that the squares on the heat detection maps represent the expected margin of error, not the size of the area burned. In other words, the detection could have come from anywhere within the square. Also be aware that false detections do sometimes occur. An outlying or “over the line” heat detection is not, by itself, a confirmation that there is fire in the area indicated. In addition, the satellites do not detect heat everywhere that fire exists. Creeping, backing or smoldering fire is often not detected. Finally, the detections are only snapshots of moments in time. Flare ups that occur before or after a satellite pass may be entirely missed.

Also be aware that yellow squares disappear from the map after 6 days. These are not maps of the area burned since the fire began, just maps of where heat has been detected during the past week.

Photos from the South Coast

Below will be a series of photos taken at the Hermitage today, 8/22 by Brendon, and on the highway, by me. If you are looking for the reports on the fires, click here for Dolan https://bigsurkate.blog/2020/08/22/dolan-fire-day-5-8-22-20/ or here for Carmel and River fires https://bigsurkate.blog/2020/08/22/carmel-river-fires-saturday-8-22-20/

From Brendon Shave at the Hermitage:

The following are by bigsurkate on the highway

Catching some zzzs at Plaskett Creek campgroun

First sign of fire, middle ridge in this photo

CHP John and USFS PIO Anna, holding down the fort at Lucia

Looks like a spike camp getting set up, NW of PV Station – helicopter fuel truck on left. US Food truck at Pv Station across the road and down a bit.

Look PMC! We brought our own porta potties!!!

And that is how the afternoon of Saturday, August 22 looked on the south coast. When we left to go to Cambria, we passed many, many cars heading UP the coast, but coming back, we were one of the few going north. Very few cars stopped on the side of the road after getting into the closed area at Ragged Point. There was no one lined up at any of the road blocks we drove around. Limekiln, Kirk Creek, Plaskett Creek all closed. The north coast, I am hearing is a different story and that Sycamore Canyon and Pfeiffer Beach were a nightmare for residents. Our dirt roads are still a mess, but fortunately, not being made more so.

Dolan Fire, Day 5, 8/22/20

8 pm — Dolan Incident Report:

6:30 pm — I am posting this at 6:30 pm, my first available opportunity today, but not sure when released. Note the fire has increased to 14,000 acres, but 10% containment.

Incident Overview

Map of the Dolan Fire for August 22 Image options: [ Full Size ]

Current Situation:

Overnight point protection continued to be the focus of operations. Point protection refers to the preparation and defense of structures or other values in the fire’s path of spread. The three priorities for point protection are Hermitage, Partington Ridge and Anderson Peak communications infrastructure. As the threat diminishes and fire passes, these priorities will shift. As more resources arrive the operation will expand to include additional perimeter control operations.

Hot Shot crews are working on perimeter control on the north end of the fire off North Coast Ridge Road, where the fire had burned over the road, these firefighters are building fire line directly on the fire’s edge to prevent the possibility of further spread. Containment along the west side of the fire (10% so far) is expected to increase over the next few days as firefighters assure that the line is secure.

The fire remained active in the areas Hermitage and Lucia, along Highway 1, overnight. The fire spread slowly as fire backed down slope.

Today, operations will continue to focus on point protection and scouting for locations to build direct and indirect fire line. Fire spread will be mainly to the south, laterally along the coast ridge. Smoke from other fires in the area is shading the Dolan Fire. Though the smoke makes it difficult to locate the exact perimeter of the fire, it has the benefit of decreasing the direct sunlight and dampening fire behavior. In areas above the layer of smoke, or when the smoke lifts, fire behavior will become more active. As Tropical Depression Genevieve moves into the area, unstable air will likely lift the smoke layer and result in more active fire behavior.

The fire is threatening the communities of Hermitage, Partington Ridge, and Lucia. Multiple businesses, communications sites, parks and recreational sites are also threatened. Among natural resources threatened are the Ventana Wilderness and coastal watershed and habitat for threatened and endangered species, including the California condor.

Fire activity in the western United States has caused a high demand for fire personnel and equipment. The nation is in Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest level. In PL5 over 80% of the nation’s incident management teams and wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents. Resource orders are being prioritized to fires across California and the west. Aircraft that can map a fire using infrared imagery used to determine acreage have not yet flown the fire. Acreage reported here is an estimate and will be updated when IR images are available.

Carmel Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/carmel-fire/

River Fire Info: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/16/river-fire/

Updates and Meetings: Fire Information is producing two daily written updates. To request an update, email 2020.dolan@firenet.gov and provide your email address. A daily video update will be posted to the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page and Inciweb (See links in header). Additionally, a live online community meeting will be held on the Los Padres National Forest Facebook page today at 2:00 p.m.

Weather: Moisture from Tropical Depression Genevieve will bring mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures to the area today. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued from Sunday at 11:00 a.m. through Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. due to a potential for Thunderstorms.

Evacuations / Closures: Click here for an interactive map of Monterey County evacuations.

The closure of Highway 1 has changed. The highway is now closed near mile marker 38/Troy (Torre) Canyon on the north and Hermitage on the south.

Smoke: The Monterey Bay Air Resources District has issued a Wildfire Air Quality Advisory. When the concentration of smoke has reached UNHEALTHY levels of the AQI, residents should limit their activity by staying indoors with the doors and windows closed to avoid breathing smoke. Updates on the current air quality forecast and Air Monitoring data can be found at http://air.mbard.org/.

Alert Monterey County: To receive emergency notifications regarding evacuations and critical events in Monterey County please sign up for A!ert Monterey County at the following website.

https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611217/login

Safety Message: Area residents are encouraged to prepare for the approach of fire in advance. Go to https://www.ready.gov/wildfires to learn how to prepare.