InciWeb UPDATE: Zaca Wildland Fire

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

InciWeb UPDATE: Zaca Wildland Fire

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 20:00 hrs

Summary

July 9, 2007 8:00 am

Helicopter Accident

On July 8, 2007, at 4:07 pm, a contract helicopter was involved in an accident at the Figueroa Helibase. The pilot and co-pilot were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

A joint accident investigation team is handling the investigation. The restrictions on air operations have been lifted. The Figueroa Helibase will remain closed until further notice.

Fire Update

The fire has now burned into the San Rafael wilderness, with the north flank of the fire currently burning in heavy, 40 year old fuels with a high dead to live ratio. Fuel moisture levels are extremely low and at a point that is usually not seen until late in the summer.

The fire is continuing to back down to the Sisquoc River. Strong attempts will be made to contain this portion to prevent fire spread into fuels which haven't burned since 1966. The fire continues to spread to the east and northeast and has crossed Manzana Creek moving toward the Sisquoc River. The fire has reached a portion of the Marre fire of 1993. Firefighters are taking advantage of the younger fuels and are attempting to "turn the corner" by applying direct line construction techniques. The south and west sides of the fire continued to be successfully held.

Figueroa Recreational Area Campgrounds are closed (as of 7/6/2007), which includes portions of San Rafael Wilderness. Roads are closed into these areas, and travelers passing near are reminded to be alert for fire equipment and personnel in the area. Firefighters continue to have success at holding the fire on the North side of the San Rafael Ridge, South of the Sisquoc River, and East of Schoolhouse Canyon. The fire though is threatening the Cody Cabin and the historic Manzana School House.

Fire commanders continue to plan contingencies in case objectives are not met. The next couple of days are critical on achieving the objective of holding the east side of the fire.

U.S. Forest Service, Santa Barbara County Fire, and CAL FIRE, continue to operate in unified command.

Resources assigned to the fire include:

44 Hand Crews, 117 Engines, 34 Dozers, 37 Water Tenders, 15 Helicopters (operational during daylight hours only), 6 Air Tankers (operational during daylight hours only).

For more information please contact the Zaca Fire Information Line at 805-961-5770 or go to http://www.fire.ca.gov/ or http://www.inciweb.org/.

Santa Maria Amateur Radio Operators assisting with Zaca Fire

Amateur radio operators affiliated with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) are assisting firefighters on the Zaca Fire. Volunteers from the Santa Barbara section of the American Radio Relay League are staffing roadblocks at the intersection of Figueroa Mountain Road and SR 154 and at the intersection of Happy Cyn and Baseline Roads. The roadblocks were established at the request of Santa Barbara County Fire Department. ARES is a public service organization composed of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment to provide communication support and other assistance when disaster strikes. For more information about ARES see http://www.santamariaares.org/.

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	Howard Windsor

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,756
Size	8,200 acres
Percent Contained	30%
Estimated Containment Date	07/22/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Chaparral and Oak Woodlands. North Flank of the fire is burning in heavy, 40 year old fuels with high dead to live ratio. Fuel moisture levels are extremely low, and are at levels which are usually not seen until late in the summer.
Fire Behavior	The north flank of the fire continues to back down to the Sisquoc River. Plans will be developed on how to contain this portion to prevent it from spreading into fuels that have not been burned since 1966. The fire continues to spread to the east and northeast and has crossed Manzana Creek moving toward the Sisquoc River, which is a designated Wild and Scenic River. South and west sides of the fire continue to hold.
Significant Events	The pilots involved in the helicopter accident were treated and released. Their injuries were minor. Figueroa Recreational Area Campgrounds remain closed (as of 7/6/2007), which includes portions of San Rafael Wilderness. Roads closures into these areas remain in effect. Firefighters continue to have success at holding the fire on the North side to the Sisquoc River, the north side of Zaca Ridge, and East of School House Canyon. The East flank of the fire has crossed the Manzana Creek beyond the Cody Cabin moving northeast towards the Sisquoc River. Through the night of July 8, the fire continued to move east and has become established in the San Rafael Wilderness. Secondary lines are being built today on ridges outside the wilderness area.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Continuing to build line to keep fire within the objectives by building direct and indirect line.
Projected Movement	The fire has the potential to grow larger in the next 12 to 24 hours.
Growth Potential	High.
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme.
Containment Target	Fire commanders continue to plan contingencies in case objectives are not met. The next couple of days are critical on achieving the objective of holding the east/northeast perimeter of the fire.
Remarks	A Joint Accident Investigation team is evaluating and investigating the helicopter accident. The air operations safety standdown that was initiated yesterday has been lifted, although the Figueroa helibase will remain closed until further notice pending accident investigative needs.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	2 mph NE
Current Temperature	66 degrees
Current Humidity	28 %

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007