InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire - Acres: 31,000 Acres Percent Containment: 80 percent

Zaca Wildland Fire

• Incident Information
• Announcements
• News
• Pictures
• Maps

INCIDENT UPDATED 5 HRS. AGO

ANNOUNCEMENT

Forest Service Reduces Zaca Fire Closure
Date: July 26, 2007 Forest Service Reduces Zaca Fire Closure GOLETA, CA...With the Zaca Fire nearing containment, the area of Los Padres National Forest closed to public entry has been reduced signifi... more

Zaca Fire Progression Map July 26, 2007

view pictures || view maps

Summary

NOTE: With the Zaca Fire status relatively stable, one fire information update will be published each morning
unless conditions change.

Location: 15 miles Northeast of Buellton, Santa Barbara County

Unified Command Team: Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire

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

Acres: 31,000 Acres Percent Containment: 80 percentEstimated Containment: August 3, 2007

Resources: Hand Crews: 15; Dozers: 4; Engines: 12; Air Tankers: 2; Helicopters: 19; Water Tenders: 27; Overhead Personnel: 155; Total Personnel: 604; Injuries: 8; Structures Threatened: 0; Fireline-to-Build: 5 miles; Estimated Cost-to-Date: $34.6 million

Current Forest and Road 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 Los Padres National Forest closure remains in effect from Hwy. 166 on the north to Hwy. 33 in Ventura County on the south. This closure will limit access to the San Rafael and Dick Smith Wilderness areas in order to insure the safety of citizens and fire personnel.
  

Significant Events: With a warming and drying trend, expect interior islands to continue to burn out during the peak burning period, with no real threats to the line. The area burned by the 1993 Marre fire continues to act as a partial barrier to fire spread even during times of active burning. Please visit www.inciweb.org for maps, photos and more information on the Zaca Fire.

Current Situation: The fire continues to threaten fire lines, but firefighters have been able to keep the fire from spreading beyond McKinley Ridge. Firefighters are using aerial infrared technology to locate hotspots. Today firefighters will continue to construct fire line on the open southeast flank and mop-up remaining hot spots. West and northern areas of the fire are being patrolled by aircraft. Despite rugged terrain, poor access, and extremely low fuel moistures, hand crews along with helicopters continue to make significant progress on the fire. Suppression rehab is nearly completed on the west side of the fire. All efforts are being made to protect natural and cultural resources. Public and firefighter safety remain the top priority.

Safety Message: Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel.

Additional Information: Depending on fire behavior and 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.

Approved By Unified Incident Commanders:

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	604
Size	31,000 acres
Percent Contained	80%
Estimated Containment Date	08/03/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Chaparral 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	Fire continued small runs in interior islands and slow progression toward the Division I and U break.
Significant Events	Line construction and holding continued in Divisions I and U. Spot fire in Division X secured and mopped up. Additional Santa Barbara Co resources checked and secured interior hot spots in western flank detected by Infra Red.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Continue construction and securing of lines in I and U. Reconnaissance and rehabilitation of contingency dozer lines and other suppression related resource concerns under way.
Projected Movement	Moderate to high potential for the fire to grow in the next 12 to 24 hours to the east and south.
Growth Potential	Medium
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Containment Target	North and west flanks are in patrol status. Good progress is being made in I and U
Remarks	All evacuation warnings have been lifted. Los Padres National Forest closure remains in effect. 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. Unified Command with Santa Barbara County.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	4-16 mph W
Current Temperature	84 degrees
Current Humidity	32 %