New Brush Fire at Lake Nacimiento-HILL Fire

2:30 – this is an early photo, fire has spread since this was taken. Tankers are on load and hold right now, so it’s looking like they might have a handle on this one. I hope so, anyway.

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1:50 pm – It started on Hell Hill, and has caused the closure of Lake Nacimiento RD.

Per CHP:
2:01 PM 8 [23] [Notification] [CHP]-SLOSO INQ WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED TO CLOSE THE RDWY
1:53 PM 7 [21] [Notification] [CHP]-CAL FIRE VIA LL / I/C ON FIRE CONFIRM / CLOSE NACI LAKE X CHIMNEY ROCK and NACI LAKE RD X HERITAGE / ALL DIRECTIONS
1:48 PM 6 [20] B9-004B AT G14/LAKE NACIMIENTO RD – SHUTTING IT DOWN
1:40 PM 5 [11] [Notification] [CHP]-CAL FIRE REQ CHP RESPOND TO CLOSE THE RDWY
1:40 PM 4 [8] TOT CAL FIRE
1:34 PM 3 [3] TOT CAL FIRE
1:34 PM 2 [2] ON RHS
1:33 PM 1 [1] BRUSH FIRE
Unit Information
1:38 PM 2 Unit Assigned
1:48 PM 1 Unit At Scene
Was orignally 8 acres, now 40 with dangerous rate of spread. Air attack ordered 2 additional tankers. IC ordered 2 gulfs and 2 limas and 1 charlie strike team in addition to the first alarm.

Oh, I hope I don’t have to cover another one. The winds are calm, so just maybe …

Chimney Fire, 8/31/16

Today is the last day I will be covering this fire, unless there is a flare up, as it is all but controlled, 75% as of yesterday, it hasn’t entered the Silver Peak Wilderness, and all Evacs have been lifted. HOlding at 46,344 acres, 85% contained and only 35 structures threatened.

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IR Topo Map in PDF

Here are four shots taken from Rocky Butte Truck Trail from South to North, looking East out to Lake Nacimiento:

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Soberanes Fire, Day 41, 8/31/16

8:00 am – John Chesnut Map

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7:00 am – Maps

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IR Topo Map in PDF

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So Ops Map in PDF

And here are the weather and fire predictions:

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Lost Dog FOUND!!

FOUND TONIGHT, 8/30 in Seaside. YAY~~

Someone let her out of the car, or stole her. Let’s help reunited them. This one here is so close to my heart as she looks like Missy McNab the Mystery Dog, that those of you who have been following me know she made her way into my house and my heart a couple years ago after someone dumped her. Missy looks just like this, only Missy’s ears are always upright, no matter what.

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This is Sally Rideout’s Dog. Please help.

Soberanes Fire, Day 40, 8/30/16

From the USFS around 11 am – “The #SoberanesFire is getting more active in the Big Sur River drainage and smoke is now visible from the Highway 1 and the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The fire is burning pockets of unburned fuel in the river drainage and is not threatening containment lines at this point. Four helicopters are enroute to drop water on the active fire to guide it down the river drainage. The increased activity is a result of increased winds and low relative humidity. We will keep you posted.”

From Linda Rowland-Jones last night on Partington:

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John Chesnut map:

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From last night’s community meeting in Big Sur at MAF:

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Detailed briefing from the Alaska Team IC and a return of a familiar face in Air Operations Chief Mark Nunez, who served as IC for Pfeiffer Fire. Nunez has been working Soberanes since the first week. Good air operations near Partington today to slow western progress. With existing winds, western side of the fire is priority one. Near Jamesburg and Tassajara, Jamesburg, Cachagua Community News area, structure protection crews continue their assessments. Google Earth images of fire also reviewed so public could see fire lines, dozer lines and contingency lines.

Yesterday afternoon looking East from Partington Cove, photo by Suzy Cowman Tennyson:

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4:45 am – Today’s Maps

And each day the two fires appear to grow closer together by 1 mile per the USFS calculations:

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Soberanes to Chimney Map in PDF (at least the Chimney has stopped growing.)

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IR Topo Map in PDF

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So Ops Map in PDF

Here are the fire and weather predictions

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Chimney Fire, 8/29/16

After practically no growth yesterday, it looks as if the fire became very active on the western flank and a bit north overnight. It is pushing right up to the Silver Peak Wilderness, with many dozer lines created to try and keep it out of the wilderness.

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IR Topo Map in PDF link

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PIO Map in PDF Link

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Ops Map to PDF link

Soberanes Fire, Day 39, 8/29/16

7:30 PM – Contrary to rumor, there is NOT a mandatory evac of Partington Ridge, per a resident there.

7:00 pm – I have been meaning to write of what I witnessed yesterday. About 11 am, we drove by a staging of many fire trucks at approximately MM 41.6 or so. When we came home after 5 pm, the area was empty, with only cones and tape out. I heard later that they had staged up Partington Ridge, and this morning’s “structure protection” map for Partington confirmed this. The IMT has been preparing for this, given the predicted winds, so none of this is a surprise.

7:00 pm – per Keith Vandevere: “Fire is very likely in Pick Creek now. As of 1:30, the MODIS satellites had active fire from Logwood Ridge all along the edge of the Pick Creek drainage nearly to South Fork Camp. It will have to burn across the Pick Creek drainage before challenging the line on the Coast Ridge, but it may be in the process of doing that.”

6 pm – many of us have been watching a plume all afternoon. Right now, it is quite winded sitting over or behind Partington Ridge. Here is a photo taken earlier showing behind Partington Ridge by Lyndall Demere. It is also East of Partington Cove. What I don’t like in this photo is the “Orange glow” within the column, which indicates to me active fire.

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Noon – recent fires history map (looks to only cover the 1999 Kirk Hare, 2008 Basin, and 2013 Pfeiffer, but interesting none-the-less.

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And … The Soberanes and Chimney Fires are another mile closer together…

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6 am – Here are today’s maps:

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Topo Map Link to PDF

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So Ops Map Link to PDF

And here are a couple new ones – Structure Protection Maps (5 of them, total, but only including the first 3 today, will add the last 2 tomorrow) for various areas:

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Partington Structure Protection Map in PDF

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Highway 1 Structure Protection, map 1, Link to PDF

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Highway One Structure Protection, map 2, link to PDF

Here are the weather and fire predictions for today:

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