Zaca Wildland Fire - update - 10,400 acres, 30% contained

Zaca Wildland Fire
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Zaca Fire information map
Credit: CAL FIRE Incident Information

Zaca Fire viewed from behind Cachuma Mountain, looking westward. 12:00 p.m., July 4, 2007
picture Credit: Ray Ford

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INCIDENT UPDATED

Summary

July 10, 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 where it is safe and effective to do so. The south and west sides of the fire continued to be successfully held.

Figueroa Recreation Area is closed to public entry,as areportions of San Rafael Wilderness and the South Fork La Brea area. Roads are closed into these areas, and travelers passing near are reminded to be alert for fire equipment and personnel in the area.

Fire commanders are implementing contingency plansin case control 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.

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	10,400 acres
Percent Contained	30%
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. Firing plans have been developed to bring the fire down to the Sisquoc River outside of the San Rafael Wilderness. This plan will not be implemented until the weather and fire behavior are favorable for a successful outcome. The fire continues to spread to the east and northeast and has reached Bald Mountain/Bald Mountain Canyon unabated. The south side continues to be successfully held along Zaca Ridge. West and north control objectives also continue to be achieved.
Significant Events	Twelve bulldozers continue constructing secondary lines along the northeast side of the fire as a contingency to protect the community of Tepusquet if the fire jumps the Sisquoc River. Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area, South Fork La Brea area, and portions of the San Rafael Wilderness are closed to public entry. Roads leading into the Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area are closed. Firefighters continue to have success in holding the fire on the south side of the Sisquoc, east of School House Canyon and north of Zaca Ridge.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Continuing to build line to keep fire within the objectives by building direct and indirect line. Fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft continue to support daily ground actions.
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	With the fire established in the San Rafael Wilderness, fire managers are implementing contingency lands.
Remarks	A Joint Accident Investigation team is evaluating and investigating the helicopter accident. Estimated containment dates are difficult to establish at this time because the fire has become established in the San Rafael Wilderness. The current projection is that containment will require at least 14 days.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	3 mph SE
Current Temperature	71 degrees
Current Humidity	18 %