CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : Inciweb update: Zaca Wildland Fire - 30,900 acres

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Inciweb update: Zaca Wildland Fire - 30,900 acres - 44%

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 07:00 hrs.

Zaca Fire Progression Map July 20, 2007

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Summary

Saturday, July 21, 2007

7:00am

( Morning update complete )

Modifications to Evacuation Order Effective July 19, 2007 at 12:00 pm - see "News"
Update on Precautionary Smoke Advisory for Areas Impacted by the Zaca Fire
Call the Zaca Fire Information Line at 805-961-5770 for current conditions.

Fire Location: 15 miles Northeast of Buellton, in Santa Barbara County.

Command Team: U.S. Forest Service and Santa Barbara County Fire Department (Unified Command).

Start Date & Report Time: July 4, 2007 @ 10:53 AM.

Acres: 30,900 Acres.

Percent Containment: 48 percent.

Estimated Containment Date: 07/27/07.

Estimated Control Date: No Estimate.

Resources Currently Assigned: Hand Crews: 35; Dozers: 23; Engines: 50; Air Tankers: 6; Helicopters: 20; Water Tenders: 39; Overhead Personnel: 231; Total Personnel: 1,465; Injuries: 7; Structures Threatened: 71; Estimated Cost-to-Date: $28,100,000.

Evacuations: All evacuation orders have been lifted. An evacuation warning is now in place for the residents of Peachtree Canyon, Tunnel Ranch and areas within the Los Padres National Forest boundary. Canyon Road is closed to the east at Baseline Road. Figuerora Mountain Road is closed to the east at Hwy 154. All Los Padres NF lands are closed from Hwy. 166 on the north roughly to Hwy. 33 in Ventura County on the south, including San Rafael, Dick Smith and Matilija Wilderness areas.

Current Closures: Santa Barbara County Fire Officials have ordered the following road closures.

Happy Canyon Road closed to the east at Baseline Road.
Figueroa Mountain road closed to the east at Highway 154

Los Padres National Forest Officials have ordered the following forest closures:

The current closure encompasses the entire San Rafael, Dick Smith, and Matilija Wilderness within the National Forest land. The area roughly includes all of the Los Padres National Forest from HWY 166 on the north to HWY 33 in Ventura County on the south. The 614,223 acre area will be closed until further notice. This closure will limit access to the San Rafael and Dick Smith Wilderness in order to insure the safety of citizens and fire personnel.

Significant Events: The fire burned actively through the night with little lateral spread in heavy fuels. Fire is established in the drainages near McKinley Mountain.

Current Situation:

* Aerial patrol of western perimeter.

* Line construction and cold trail as needed.

* Crews to construct direct line where possible utilizing Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST).

* Recon. north perimeter for helispot locations.

* Continue to survey for structure protection needs.

* Dozers to construct line south/southwest.

* Suppression rehab to continue fireline inventory for suppression rehab needs.

* Recon Sierra Madre Ridge for suppression strategy.

Safety Message: Residents should use caution when evacuating. Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Fire Information fact sheets and display boards are placed throughout the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valley's to keep the communities updated on the fire status.

Media Message: Due to fire equipment activity, media escorts are available through the information office. Information Officers will be available to provide an escort tooperations approved locations. Media will need to check in at the Incident Command Post at Live Oak Camp for an escorted media tour at 11:00 am.

Additional Information: The fire has potential for increased growth and extended duration of wildfire suppression activities. Depending on wind conditions, smoke from the Zaca Fire may be visible over a wide area with occasional drift smoke as far away as Santa Barbara, Goleta or other areas of the county. If you would likemore information please contact the Zaca Fire Information Line at 805-961-5770 or go to http://www.fire.ca.gov/, http://www.inciweb.org/, or http://www.sbcfire.com/ .

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Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Human Caused
Date of Origin	07/04/2007 at 1053 hrs.
Location	15 miles north east of Buellton, CA.
Incident Commander	Aaron Gelobter / Rick Tod

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,465
Size	30,900 acres
Percent Contained	44%
Estimated Containment Date	07/27/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Model 4 (6 ft) and oak woodlands. North and east flanks of fire are burning in heavy, 40 year old fuels with high dead to live ratio. Fuel moisture levels are extremely low, at levels normally seen in late summer.
Fire Behavior	The fire burned actively through the night with little lateral spread in heavy fuels.
Significant Events	Crews that were inserted continued to work the northern perimeter. The fire is established in the drainages near McKinley Mountain.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Aerial patrol of western perimeter. Line construction and cold trail as needed. Crews to construct direct line where possible utilizing MIST tactics. Recon north perimeter for helispot locations. Continue to survey for structure protection needs. Dozers to construct line south/southwest. Suppression rehab to continue fireline inventory for suppression rehab needs. Recon Sierra Madre Ridge for suppression strategy.
Projected Movement	High potential for the fire to grow to the east and south.
Growth Potential	High.
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme.
Containment Target	Suppression tactics continue to be successful in maintaining north and west flanks. Poor access, rugged terrain, and extremely low fuel moisture continue to be problems in achieving containment in the Wilderness.
Remarks	All evacuation orders have been lifted. An evacuation warning is now in place for the residents of Peachtree Canyon, Tunnel Ranch and areas within the Los Padres National Forest boundary. Canyon Road is closed to the east at Baseline Road. Figuerora Mountain Road is closed to the east at Hwy 154. All Los Padres NF lands are closed from Hwy. 166 on the north roughly to Hwy. 33 in Ventura County on the south, including San Rafael, Dick Smith and Matilija Wilderness areas. Unified Command with Santa Barbara County. Precautionary smoke advisory for areas affected by the fire continues as issued by Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	8 mph N
Current Temperature	65 degrees
Current Humidity	39 %

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