InciWeb: ZACA Fire - 31,000 Acres - 48 percent Containment

Zaca Wildland Fire

Type 1 (heavy) helicopter reloading retardant at Zaca Fire Helibase.
Credit: Mike Ferris - U.S. Forest Service

Heavy helicopter loading retardant at helibase.
Credit: Mike Ferris - U.S. Forest Service

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INCIDENT UPDATED 1:46 HRS. AGO

Summary

Saturday, July 21, 2007

7:00 p.m.

(Evening update complete)

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: 31,000 Acres.

Percent Containment: 48 percent.

Estimated Containment Date: 07/27/07.

Estimated Control Date: No Estimate.

Resources Currently Assigned: Hand Crews: 30; Dozers: 23; Engines: 17; Air Tankers: 6; Helicopters: 20; Water Tenders: 29; Overhead Personnel: 224; Total Personnel: 1,068; Injuries: 7; Structures Threatened: 64 (Peachtree and Tunnel Ranch); Estimated Cost-to-Date: $28,600,000.

Evacuations: All evacuation orders have been lifted. An evacuation warning is still in place for the residents of Peachtree Canyon, Tunnel Ranch and areas within the Los Padres National Forest boundary. Happy 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 roads remain closed.

• 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: Crews made good progress constructing handline on the northeast perimeter and portions of the southeast perimeter. Dozers continued to improve indirect line.

Current Situation:

*Handline construction to continue on the northeast and southeast perimeter.

*Aerial patrol of the western perimeter.

*Crews to cold trail and secure fire's edge.

*Survey for structure protection needs to continue.

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

Safety Message: Residents,please use caution while driving in and around the affectedareas, and watch for fire apparatus and crews who may be on or near roads. 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 keepcommunities updated on status of the fire.

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

Additional Information: The fire still 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 like more 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/ .

Fire managers planning conducting evacuation of Zaca Fire area.

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 Todd

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,068
Size	31,000 acres
Percent Contained	48%
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	A change in fuels on the eastern perimeter has moderated fire spread. However, high intensity burning still exists in heavy pockets of fuels with interior island burning.
Significant Events	Crews made good progress constructing handline on the northeast perimeter and portions of the southeast perimeter. Aerial patrol of the western perimeter continued. Dozers continued to improve indirect line. Outlook

Outlook

Planned Actions	Handline construction to continue on the northeast and southeast perimeter. Aerial patrol of the western perimeter. Crews to cold trail and secure fire's edge. Survey for structure protection needs to continue. Suppression rehab to continue to inventory fireline for suppression rehab needs.
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	7 mph S
Current Temperature	84 degrees
Current Humidity	31 %