InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire

Saturday, July 7, 2007

InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire

Zaca Wildland Fire - 6,300 acres

Picture of map ZACA fire GeoMac Composite
Credit: CAL FIRE News/GEOMAC

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 0800

Summary

July 6, 2007 9:58pm

Forest Closure: The Forest Service is closing a portion of Los Padres National Forest in the general vicinity of the Zaca Fire as a precautionary measure only. We are asking campers, hikers and other recreationists to leave the area. This is not an evacuation. There is no imminent threat. The closed area includes Figueroa Mtn. area campgrounds, day use areas and recreation residences, portions of the San Rafael Wilderness in the Sisquoc and Manzana drainages and the South Fork La Brea area. Private land is not affected. Santa Barbara County also has closed Figueroa Mtn. Road from Hwy 154, and Happy Canyon Road at Baseline Road.

The fire is currently burning in very rugged inaccessible terrain. Significant fire activity occurred late in the afternoon on Friday, July 6, toward the northeast. The fire has now burned into the Los Padres National Forest, burning approximately 1000 acres of forest land. The San Rafael Wilderness is threatened. Control efforts are focused on containing the fire to the south of the Sisquoc River, west of the San Rafael Wilderness, and north of Zaca Lake Road. Crews are experiencing high heat and low humidity on the fireline. Significant resources are arriving to combat the fire.

There have been 9 injuries, none serious, most were heat related or muscle strains.

Currently there are 38 hand crews, 6 air tankers, 14 helicopters, 52 engines, 32 dozers, and 9 water tenders.

The Zaca Fire started on Wednesday, July 4, on private land in the Bell Canyon area of Santa Barbara County about 10 miles north of the community of Los Olivos. The fire is being managed in a Unified Command with CAL FIRE, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Fire Started By Landowner
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	1,263
Size	6,300 acres
Percent Contained	15%
Fuels Involved	Chaparral and Oak Woodlands.
Fire Behavior	The fire continues to make a significant fuels driven run on the North side of the San Rafael Ridge, burning to the east. The north flank of the fire continues to back down to the Sisquoc River.
Significant Events	Campgrounds Evacuated and the Cachuma and Figueroa Recreation Areas, which includes portions of San Rafael Wilderness. Roads are closed into these areas. 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 School House Canyon. The Eastern Side continues to run unabated despite firefighting efforts.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Continuing to build line to keep fire within the objectives by building direct and indirect line.
Projected Movement	The fire could grow even larger yet in the next 12 to 24 hours.
Growth Potential	High.
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme.
Containment Target	Three of the four operational objectives which have been identified, have a strong likelihood of success. Control of the eastern flank of the fire remains elusive.
Remarks	USFS, Santa Barbara County, CAL FIRE, continue to operating in unified command.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	3 mph NE
Current Temperature	70 degrees
Current Humidity	23 %

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, July 7, 2007