CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : Zaca Wildland Fire - 31,000 Acres

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Zaca Wildland Fire - 31,000 Acres - 60% Containment

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED

Photo: Firefighter reports weather data from the fire.

Firefighter reports weather data from the fire.
Credit: Mike Ferris - USFS

view pictures || view maps

Summary

July 24, 2007

(Morning update complete)

Summary

Acres: 31,000

Percent Containment: 60%

Estimated Full Containment: August 3, 2007

Miles of fireline to build: 10

Estimated Cost To date: $31,900,000

Resources: Hand Crews: 21

Dozers: 7

Engines: 12

Air Tankers: 2

Helicopters: 20

Water Tenders: 29

Overhead Personnel: 191

Total Personnel: 801

Injuries: 8

Structures Threatened: 0

Structures Destroyed: 1

Current Forest and Roads Closures

Per Santa Barbara County Fire officials, 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.

Per Los Padres National Forest officials, the following areas remain closed.

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 closureprohibits access to the San Rafael, Dick Smith and Matilija Wilderness areas in order for the safety of citizens and fire personnel.

Current Situation

Steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain continues to hinder suppression efforts.
Travel times for resources to north and east fire perimeters is 2-3 hours.
North and east flanks of fire are burning in heavy, 40 year old fuels with high dead to live ratio.
Cloud cover and increased moisture have moderated fire behavior.
Interior islands continue to burn out and the fire continues short runs to the southeast near McKinley Mountain.
Priority efforts continue on the east side of the fire.

Safety Message

Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Fire Information updates and display boards are placed throughout the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valley's to keep the communities informed on the fire status.

Media Message

Due to fire equipment activity, Public Information Officers are available to provide media tours. Media should check in at the Live Oak Camp Incident Command Post for escorted tours by 11:00 am.

Additional Information

The fire continues to have 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.

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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	801
Size	31,000 acres
Percent Contained	60%
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	Cloud cover and increased moisture have moderated fire behavior. Interior islands continue to burn out and the fire continues short runs to the southeast near McKinley Mountain.
Significant Events	Priority efforts continue on the east side of the fire.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Crews continued line construction on the east side of the fire. Rugged inaccessible terrain limits suppression efforts on the south east perimeter.
Projected Movement	Moderate potential for the fire to grow 150 to 250 acres in the next 12 to 24 hours to the east and south. High potential for the fire to grow 500 to 750 acres in the next 48 to 72 hours 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. Despite rugged terrain, poor access and extremely low fuel moisture crews are showing significant progress toward containment on the northeast and east fire perimeter with the support of helicopters. Inaccessible terrain in the southeast perimeter (Division "U")is limiting suppression efforts.
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. Injury to crew crewmember for heat exhaustion. Expected containment date changed due to rugged innaccessible terrain limiting suppression efforts in the southeast perimeter (Division "U").

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	Not available
Current Temperature	74 degrees
Current Humidity	28 %

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