Patrolling a tinder box …

This evening, before sunset, I met one of our local USFS FFs patrolling Plaskett. I was so glad to see him. He grew up here. His lineage dates back to one of the original settlers here on the South Coast. This land is in his blood and he knows it like I never will and probably loves it more than I do. I’ve known him since he was in 6th grade when I worked at the local one-room school, and that was … 20 years ago? Really? That long ago?

It was so good to see him, and know there were other “eyes” up here on a Friday night, when all the campers and hunters are filling the place up because there is no where else to go. Campgrounds are full.

With triple digits temps, single digit RH, and two fires having burned to the east of me in the last two days, and six in August alone here on the Central Coast, I breathed a sigh of appreciation for his presence. I did not realize how alone I felt up here, until I saw him. I think I can relax a little.

We stopped and chatted for a moment. I told him, “You know, I’d almost rather it come at me, then have all this anxiety of waiting and dreading when it does. Sort of like going to the dentist.” He laughed, but I think he knew what I meant.

I knew my banjo strings were pulled a little too tight after last Friday’s confrontation with the campers with the campfire. But to know that sometimes, and especially on these hot, dry Friday nights, other eyes will be watching out for this forest of ours, brings a quiet calm over me when I most need it.

Thank you.

Gloria Fire, 8/28/09

8;00 pm update: (I just got home so most of these are from the last couple hours)
at 6 pm – CalFire just updated
6,000 acres – 15% contained
1 residence destroyed

This was posted at 7 pm, from a guy w/ Benito/Monterey CalFire: “The fire spotted over the line in NE corner around 1400PDT and made large run toward the South. This was about1 hour after AT 911 [ed-DC-10] made a drop. At that time they released them from fire back to Victorville. They had to reorder the VLAT [very large air tanker] later on. It made 3rd drop of the day around 1700PDT returning after reloading at McCulen AB. for 4th drop of day Watching VLAT drop 3 times showed how well this weapon works when it has room. All of the drops I saw seemed to go for ever.”

And for the view from on Top o’ the World — lots of smoke to the east, both down toward Bryson, and up toward Gloria. No significant plumes just before sunset.
Triple digit temps, and single digit RHs expected to continue through the weekend.

11:00 am update: California Professional Firefighters Association is reporting: “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Monterey Counties in response to a new flurry of wildland fires dotting the coastal counties.

Some 1,500 residents of Rancho Palos Verdes were forced out of their million dollar homes by a stubborn blaze, and a new Monterey Co. fire near Soledad has burned more than 5,000 acres.” (original report of 8K was a typo in original quote.)

These three shots were taken between 7:30 am and 8:00 am. Here’s the smoke from the Gloria Fire from my front deck:
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Here’s the smoke from the Gloria Fire from out back:
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Finally, the smoke from the Bryson Fire shot through the skeletons of last year’s Chalk Fire:
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9:00 am update – went out and took a look, not much to see. Smoke, but no plumes. And on the top of the Santa Lucia’s I can see the smoke from the Bryson, which is still burning to the south and the smoke from the Gloria burning to the north. Quite a perspective. I do have some shots, but not together — distance too great. What a view, though! Photos to follow.

NOTE: NOAA issued red flag warning for Pinnacles, area of Gloria Fire, Santa Lucias, and Los Padres National Forest. Warning in effect until noon today.

7:00 am – There is a lot of smoke out there. A quick check for info, then I’m off to the back to take photos. I can see the plumes from here, amid the trees, but want to get better shots.

I checked with Cheryl, and while she thinks the fire got to the edge of the ranch (it is 21K acres), nothing threatening her, but it is headed toward both Soledad, which is under threat today, and Pinnacles.

It is 5000 acres and 0-15% contained, depending on the source of information. 30-40 homes are threatened. It doubled overnight. Today is supposed to be hotter and drier, too.

New Fire, Soledad – Gloria Fire

This one is not looking too good tonight, as I turn off power to conserve. Will check in at first light, as it looks to be quite active tonight. BE SAFE everyone!

Notes from wildlandfire:
“Just got back to my house at Paraiso Vineyards. Been sitting at office since 1600PDT. That fire ripped for awhile. Around the time power went down the fire activity was extreme in Bryant Canyon. The flames were shooting 60 feet or more in cyclonic flames. When the Fire Got into Bryant it started spotting 1/8 mile or more as it went from north side to south side of Canyon in what seemed like 10min. The DC10 finally made it to fire at 20:20 dropping from the North origin point running South on East side of fire. Watching them drop with Lead Plane as they both ran their full lights was weird. After the run was over The AA told them the drop was very effective for how dark it was getting got some pics along with 248 other images of the fire. The fire is still spotting as I write this and very active. AS the fire hit Highway 146 they started Backfiring trying to stop it SW flank. Also they might have lost 2 or more structures during the fire. Nothing confirmed. When power was lost it went out from Greenfield North to the Hollister AB which was shut down after that because they had no power.”

This was taken by Kelly O’Brien of KUSP from Jamesburg at the top of Laureles Grade, shortly after the helicopter went down.
Gloria Fire, Laureles Grade

9:00 pm update – 2500 acres and 0% containment, per CalFire.
Total Fire Personnel: 185
Engines: 21
Fire crews: 6
Dozers: 8
Water tenders: 4
Conditions: Hwy 146 East is being closed.
The fire is threatening the 270K Transmission Lines that provide power to Northern San Luis County.

8:30 pm update – probably will not get the photos tonight, the power lines have been shut off. One report has the fire getting close to the top of the hill toward the Highway 25, Hollister side. It sounds extremely active.

8:00 pm update – 100 homes threatened. Evacuations under way. KSBW is reporting 2000 acres as of 7 pm tonight. Also power out for many areas.

7:00 pm update – “helo hit highpower lines. fire restart at start of fire.” From scanner traffic: “Copter 404 has struck power lines (which have not come down) and had to make an emergency landing near the fire….they are now conducting a firing operation to protect the chopper. It also sounds like the fire is really running good right now.”

6:30 pm update – 500 acres 0% contained, per CalFire.

6:00 pm update – Just got a call from my girlfriend, Cheryl Harris. It is about 5 miles from the ranch in Gonzalez, and is pretty incredible. She is on her way home, and will send photos when she gets there. She says she is not worried, as the cows have eaten every blade of grass on the ranch. Can’t wait to see what she sends me!

“Sounds like they may order up VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker), threat to major high voltage powerlines.” 6 tankers already ordered up, at least one helicopter. Those familiar with the Salinas Valley know that winds every afternoon are present.

5:00 pm – I was trying to correct the photos in my Bryson post, when I got word of a new fire in Soledad. Information sketchy at this point.

“Veg fire, east of Soledad, 75-100 acres Rapid ROS. Fire making run to the east.” Besides the usual distress of this fire, east of Soledad is Pinnacles National Monument, a condor breeding area

From Mike Soe of ksbw:
LaGloria Fire, Soledad

BTW, if searching on the web for this fire, note there is another fire called “Soledad Fire” in LA Co. This one is the LaGloria Fire.

Bryson Fire, 8/27/09

4:00 pm update – just went and took a look. While quite a bit of smoke, no plumes, so looks like it is pretty much under control. Here is a wide angle:
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And here is the zoom of the smoke:
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1:30 pm update – the smoke is picking up quite a bit. Will probably go out back and take a look-see, and maybe photos.

11:30 am updates – no new reports, no new plumes, looks like this one is handled, unless the winds get it moving. If no further updates, then assume all is going well.

7:00 am update –
* 2,754 acres, 60% contained
* Current weather: 50 Degrees, 50% RH, winds light and variable
* Evacuations: 2 Ranches (4 – 8 people affected)
* Some concerns due to predicted Red Flag conditions. High temps, low RH and gusty NE winds are predicted from 1000-2200 today

I got an early morning shot, with the smoke just barely visible through the trees in my front yard. This was taken at just after 6:30 am. I will go up to the back to get a better shot at some point today.
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6:30 am – no plumes, yet, but I can see the smoke near the ground.

Last night around 11 pm, this was reported:

2015 acres
15% contained
2 outbuildings confirmed destroyed
Evacuations to Lockwood Community Center
Estimated containment: 1800 hours 8/27
Firing operations along Pleyto-Cemetery Road put in good control lines. Planned firing operations along Interlake Road to the north on 8/27.

If a plume develops, you can bet I will take a photograph or dozen, and post a few here.

Bryson Fire

7:00 pm – Yet another fire, over by Lake San Antonio. I have photos, which I will upload. According to my Lockwood source, it started across from the Post Office in Lockwood and just went. It is burning in the bottom of the lake bed on the north end of Lake San Antonio. Lots of resources on the way. Cal Fire says it’s setting up an evacuation site a the Lockwood school, also known as San Antonio Elementary. Red Cross will be on scene at 6:00 tonight to help out families forced to evacuate their homes. Last update puts the fire at 1500 acres.

The smoke is laying down pretty good. This is what it looked like around 6 pm from my place.
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Here is a similar shot:
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I have a good friend in Lockwood, who is keeping an eye on this for me. He will call if there is a flare-up tonight, otherwise, I will update in the morning. Work deadlines have been really rough the last couple of weeks, and I am just barely upright. In the morning, people.

Clarification

I thought I made it clear that I did NOT think the owner of the truck with the dogs was responsible, as he is a firefighter and as I said, they are my heros. So let me be clear. He is NOT responsible.

I apologize to him and to anyone else that felt I was inferring otherwise. I have removed that post to avoid any further confusion on this subject.

Now, I have had enough of the drama, and am looking for a little comedy in my life. Maybe the Community Pig Roast will provide some. Veggies that look like celebrities?? Really?? They’ll be a contest for that at the Pig Roast and Pot Luck, and I really look forward to seeing some people I haven’t seen in WAY too long!

Sunset Silhouette



Sunset Silhouette, 8/22/09, originally uploaded by wind_dancer.

And this is why I can put up with all the trespassers, the yay-hoos, and other inconveniences. Who can blame them for wanting a piece of this? This was taken this past weekend.

Brush Fire near Toro Park

4:30 pm – nothing further, so looks like they got it.

3:30 pm -CHP reported about 5 minutes ago, a brush fire on 68 near Toro Park. Given all the houses across the street, and the importance of this corridor, I will predict they will be all over this puppy and have it well taken care of this afternoon. Not too hot today, winds calm. Perfect for early control. For those of you not familiar with the area, Highway 68 (corrected from 69, thanks, Ken) connects the Monterey Penninsula with the Salinas Valley. Ranch land still covers the southern side of the 2-lane (mostly) highway, with houses on the north side. Toro Park is on the south side.

And I was just writing a blog entry about how peaceful this Sunday afternoon had been. Well, it still is, here.

Weekend Weather & yay-hoo updates

9:30 pm, and all is quiet here on Top o’ the World. Before sunset, I went and checked the back gate. No campers. No illegal fires. I went and checked the front gate. Same. Now, I go outside and check Prewitt Ridge — lots of lights, but no campfires. All quiet here on the western front. *sigh* Thank you, Goddess, Buddha, and all the other powers that be.

As you all know, there is a 20% chance of thunder showers through Sunday. Frankly, I’d rather deal with Mother Nature than with stupidity, but chances of fire are every where, until the first real rains of the season. It is just part of the life of living in the wilderness.

This morning’s NOAA discussion includes: “ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH SHOWERS EXPECTED LATE MORNING IN
SOUTHEAST PORTION OF FORECAST AREA DOWN AROUND SOUTHERN MONTEREY
AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES WITH SLOW PROGRESSION TO DIABLO RANGE
ADJACENT TO SAN JOSE BY LATE AFTERNOON AND LINGERING INTO THE
EVENING HOURS.”

Okay, so it is late morning, and nothing yet. Of course, this specifically says, “southeast” so hopefully won’t affect the coast, particularly the lightning.

Last night’s Rave party was calm, as far as I could see and hear. No trouble. I can look out with my binoculars and see a HUGE number of vehicles, all along the top of the ridge, back toward the east of the ridge, down below on the south side, in the actual camp area, and at least one vehicle, way below the camp, south east from it, where I’ve never seen vehicles before.

I did not go out to check on the Cayucas yay-hoos (think accent here, not misspelling) last night, as I had my hands full with Prewitt.

I woke to the sounds of gunfires and dogs barking in response, this morning. Lots of shots means either a couple of bad shots, or a bunch of hunters. I’m betting on the latter. At some point today I will probably patrol some of the area, but it is a work day for me.

Kate goes ballistic – campfire @ front gate & Rave Party at Prewitt

Got a couple stories to tell, one with photos. It is a story about life in this wilderness I call home, and it is not easy. It is a story of campfires when the temperatures are in the 90’s next to highly ignitable vegetation at a time when the news has carried stories of wildfires up and down the state. Two stories — one day. The day starts with one, detours, and ends where it began.

I got a call this afternoon from Geri.”Hey, Kate. There’s a Rave Party at Prewitt Camp this weekend. Can you see Prewitt Camp?”

“Oh, yeah, Geri. It’s straight across from me. I’ll keep an eye on it tonight for campfires. I can see them for miles up here.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

I went to Cambria to send something for work, and was enjoying the coolness of the coast. I stopped to see Lynne at the campground. It was full, she was stressed, and I knew Plaskett and other spots around here would be stressed. I got my camera out.

All up the road there were trucks. Seemed to me mostly hunters, but I took photos of all the license numbers, just in case. I love that I can do that. I used to write them down, but sometimes I can be dyslexic with numbers. Plus, cameras date and time stamp them.

I am almost home, long past the “No Trespassing” signs, coming around a corner, when I see a truck parked in the turn-out just before my gate. That’s my property. Oh, boy, I think, I’ve got to have a talk with this yay-hoos. You know how many signs they drove by?? No less than eight. EIGHT.

Then, I see it. FIRE!! They had a campfire!! OMG!! I screeched in there, jumped out of the car, as only a one-legged 60 year-old crone can, WITH camera, and started simultaneously yelling and snapping photos. The fire is behind that blue chair.
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“What the HELL do you think you are doing?? Put that thing OUT!! NOW!!”

“Hey, lady, calm down. Don’t get upset.”

“Don’t get upset? Have you lost your fucking minds? There are NO campfires in the forest right now. PUT IT OUT!! NOW!!”

“Okay, okay, just calm down, will you??”

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“Calm down?? I am not going to calm down until you put that OUT!! There are signs posted NO CAMPFIRES!”

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“Yeah, well, I have selective seeing. We will put it out.”

“Yes, you will and I won’t leave until you do.”
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“We did a good job of creating the fire ring. We were careful, see?”

“You see those manzanita bushes? They are full of flammable oil.”

“Manzanita?? Isn’t that Madrone?”

“No. It is manzanita. And see that Ponderosa Pine right next to you? That goes up like a roman candle.” The shaved head giggles. They’ve been drinking, and smoking pot, it seems.

“They have campfires in the campground, right? Why not up here?”

Duh … how many reasons do you want?

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“Now that we are putting it out, can we still camp here?”

“No.”

“Well, can we come to your house?”

“No, go down past the ‘No Trespassing’ signs and camp where you want. No fires, though. Do you have a propane camp stove? Those are allowed.”

“Is that one of those things you get at Big 5?” they said, giggling.

“Then I guess it is a cold dinner for you tonight.”

Now, on to the Prewitt Rave Party….

Shortly after I got home, I heard the sound of the drums. They sounded as if they were right below me, but I already knew about the Rave Party, so I figured it was them, and the echos reached across the canyon to sound so close. The dogs went OFF! Trespassers — noisy trespassers, they seemed to say. I let them bark, I had groceries to carry in, lights to turn on, and things to do, one of which was to call the head Law Enforcement guy for the LPNF and let him know about the Cayucos yay-hoos.

After my story, he told me about the Rave Party.

“Yeah, I heard about that.” I said. “I will be keeping an eye out, that’s for sure.”

“Good,” he said. “Over 200 people are expected, and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has been notified. They’ve been told no fires, so if you see one, call it in.”

“You want me to call 911?”

“Yes, please.”

The drums stopped within 10 minutes or so, but my 2d male dog would not shut up. He heard them, even if I could not. I watched, all throughout the preparation of this post, as more and more headlights showed themselves coming out on the ridge. At 10:00 pm, they were still coming. I look for campfires and see none. I see lights. I use my binoculars, if there is any question, and I know that I will watch until I get sleepy.

The USFS Fire Station in Hunter-Liggett is on alert, just in case, the MCSO is on alert, the scanners are all aware of the potential for a dangerous situation.

Should I go and check on the Cayucas yay-hoos before I go to bed? Is this even in my job description? I guess it is, if I live up here at the Top ‘o the World.

That’s it for tonight, ladies and gentlemen. I must work this weekend, but I will be checking on our temporary inhabitants for the next couple of days. Boy, I sure cannot wait for Labor Day. Hopefully, things will quiet down.