Wildfire, Atascadero

1:00 pm – Cal Fire tweets it is 60 acres, 15% contained, and structures are threatened.

12:30 pm – Cal Fire has requested CHP close El Toro Rd at the cluster of mail boxes. CoRds has been called in case a hard closure is necessary.

11:30 – scanner traffic indicates 20 acres and engines requested from Morro Bay and Cayucos for structure protection.

At this time, 11:00 am, the wildfire in Atascadero off Highway 41 and El Toro Creek Rd. is approximately 4 acres, as reported by KSBY.

WildCAD is reporting:

11/08/2013 10:08 LPF-3494
PNH0P4 1502 Toro Wildfire Torro Creek Road FR 28S05 . BC31LPF CRW4LPF DOZ4LPF E15LPF 4X4 E30LPF E335LPF E338LPF 4X HEL527LPF PAT17LPF Q . . .

Smoke, FHL

9:00 update- from my wonderful retired Fire Capt. source “hey Kate ….just got off the horn with the station….GI’s started a fire on Haycamp rd and it is now up to the san miguelito loop an the capt. talked too, he got called in on OT…. said they are takng the loop out so that’s probably where all the smokes coming from Kate…they’re probably doing a backfire to cut the main fire off I bet……”

There is a lot of smoke over FHL coming this way. It could be part of the controlled burn I warned about. Unless I hear differently, or see flames after dark, I am going with control burn. Otherwise,I’ll let you know.

Big Sur quiet, La Brea continues

The Ponderosa Fire area is still closed, as of this morning. That means Nacimiento Rd is closed and the South Coast Ridge Rd. is closed. I have been informed that mop-up is pretty much finished, so I expect the roads to open soon.

What I can’t believe is that the smoke is this heavy from the La Brea Fire. I can only imagine how much worse it must be down south. I have scoured my sources to make sure there isn’t anything closer, but can find nothing to explain the smoke other than La Brea, one county south.

Inciweb had this to report this morning, and the press release issued at 9 am mirrors this inciweb post:

08/10/2009 @0600
The La Brea Fire, which started on Saturday, August 8 at 2:50 pm, continues to burn in an area of the San Rafael Wilderness that is very steep and difficult to reach on the ground.
Heavy 87 year old fuels (vegetation), long range spotting and moderate to rapid rates of spread have continued to hamper fire fighters in their efforts to contain the fire. Extreme fire behavior has been observed since the fire began. Flames from the fire could be seen on the Sierra Madre ridgeline from areas along SR-166 yesterday afternoon and evening. Last night fire behavior was moderate due to increased relative humidity and no major runs or spotting were observed.
The portion of the forest from the intersection of SR-166 and Sierra Madre Road east to McPherson Peak, south to the Sisquoc and west to the forest boundary is currently closed due to the fire emergency. Campgrounds in the area have been evacuated.
###

Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Saturday August 08th, 2009 approx 02:50 PM
Location 26 Miles east of Santa Maria
Incident Commander Jeanne Pincha – Tulley
Current Situation
Total Personnel 580
Size 10,500 acres
Fuels Involved
Chaparral (6 feet)
Fire Behavior
Fire behavior was moderate last night due to increased relative humidity. No major runs or spotting was observed.
Significant Events
A closure of the forest in and around the area of the fire is in place. Evacuations of hunters and campers in front of and adjacent to the fire were made.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Continue direct attack on the southern and east perimeter of the fire. Crews will also continue constructing contingency lines outside of the wilderness.
Growth Potential
Extreme
Terrain Difficulty
Extreme
Remarks
CIIMT Team-3 (Pincha-Tulley) assumed command of the fire this morning at 0600.

Smoke on Horizon

The problem with living “On Top o’ the World,” is I see everything. There is smoke drift, particularly visible at sunset, although I saw it earlier this afternoon, too.

Last I heard, earlier this afternoon, the fire on the NV/CA border, up by Reno was about 7K acres. I also read about several new fires down in LA County, and of a new fire between Lookwood and San Ardo. (seems to have been contained in rapid fashion.)

I’ve purused all my usual sources, and find nothing to explain it. I am working late tonight so that I can attend the BSVFB Muster/BBQ/Retirement Party tomorrow.

Maybe the million acres that have burned in AK this month have finally made it down this far, or the Backbone in the Trinity Alps, or the Redrock/Trailer complex up by Reno. But I can’t smell smoke, so I will continue working, and see some of you tomorrow.