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Saturday, August 18, 2007

Inciweb: Zaca Wildland Fire - 171,750 acres - 65 percent

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED

ANNOUNCEMENT

Evacuation Warning Issued for Camino Cielo Road from Gibraltar Road east to the Ventura County Line including Gibraltar Reservoir and Jameson Lake.
Effective August 17, 2007 8:00pmThe Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Department and fire authorities have issued an EVACUATION WARNING for East Camino Cielo Road from Gibraltar Road east to the Ventura C... more

Zaca Fire Perimeter Map - 08/18/07
Credit: Zaca Fire GIS / FIO Unit

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Summary

Update Saturday, August 18, 2007 7:30 PM

PRECAUTIONARY EVACUATION ISSUED !

Saturday, August 18, 2007 6:00 p.m.

The Zaca Fire has moved east towards Highway 33 has become established in Deal and Rancho Nuevo Canyons in the Dick Smith Wilderness. This has prompted the Ventura County Sheriff to issue a Precautionary Evacuation for residents along the west side of Highway 33 from the Ventura/Santa Barbara County Line to Pine Mountain Summit beginning Saturday, August 18, 2007 at 6:00 pm.

Headline

The Ventura County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service will hold an information meeting on the Zaca Fire at 2:00 pm on Sunday at the Matilija Junior High, 703 El Paseo Road in Ojai. Joint Unified Command: Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Department

On the Web: http://www.sbcfire.com/ or www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres or http://www.inciweb.org/

Fire Information Phone Line: (805) 961-5770

Fire Status
Acres Burned: 171,750 acres
Acreage Increase (last 12 hours): 16,305 acres
Fireline to Build: 4 miles
Date Started: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 am
Percent Contained: 65 percent
Expected Containment: September 7, 2007
Injuries: 29
Structures Threatened: 581
Structures Destroyed: 1 outbuilding
Resources
Crews: 75
Engines: 116
Helicopters: 22
Air Tankers: 8
Air Attack: 3
Dozers: 37
Water Tenders: 79
Total Personnel Assigned: 2,963
Cost to Date: $78.9 million

Current Situation

Yesterday, with the lifting of the inversion layer, multiple convection columns were observed throughout coastal and surrounding communities in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Firefighters were able to keep pace with the fire in the Ogilvy Ranch area, keeping it north of the ranch road and east of the ranch. Last night the fire was minimally active in Diablo Canyon. Today, firing operations will continue on the Pendola Jeepway Road from the Monte Arido Fuel Break. These firing operations are designed to consume fuel in the path of the fire to help suppress and change the direction of the fire.

On the northern perimeter, firefighters continue to mop up and strengthen the line from Sweetwater Ridge east to Santa Barbara Canyon. Firefighters will continue to construct line in the Sweetwater Ridge area towards Sisquoc Canyon in order to stop the northwest progress of the fire in the San Rafael Wilderness. On the east perimeter, the fire is well established in Mono Canyon west of the Matilija Wilderness. Firefighters will begin a backfire operation from Three Sisters Peak northeast to Highway 33. To help facilitate backfiring operations on the northern and eastern front of the fire, a helicopter base has been established at Lake Casitas in Ventura County.

Hwy 33 between Wheeler Gorge and Ventucopa is closed except to local traffic only. The closure is the result of smoke and a possible backfiring operation along Hwy 33. The Highway will be closed until it can safely be reopened to thru traffic.

Contingency lines in the areas of Paradise Road, Camino Cielo Road, Camuesa Road, the Sierra Madre Ridge, Pendola Road, and the Matilija Wilderness are completed. These fuel breaks provide potential containment and may be used for firing operations in the event that changing conditions warrant such actions. Additional contingency efforts include improving the following fuelbreaks: Romero, Toro, Rincon, Oil, Santa Monica, Snowball, Chismahoo, and Rice-Wills. These fuelbreaks run west to east from Romero Canyon to Lake Casitas.

Forest, Road and Area Closures

Happy Canyon Road is closed at Los Padres National Forest boundary.
Figueroa Mountain Road is closed at the Los Padres National Forest boundary.
East Camino Cielo is closed between Painted Cave Road and Gibraltar Road due to fire equipment traffic.
Paradise Road is within the Evacuation Warning Area and is currently open to residents only.
The Zaca Fire Area Closure in Los Padres National Forest has been expanded to include additional lands in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Kern Counties. The expanded closure now encompasses approximately 888,000 acres including the entire San Rafael, Matilija and Chumash Wildernesses, a portion of the Sespe Wilderness and adjacent national forest lands. Detailed information on the closure can be found at www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres or http://www.inciweb.org/ or your local Forest Service Office.

Evacuations

The EVACUATION ORDER for Paradise Road residents, Los Prietos Boys Camp, and the Rancho Oso Guest Ranch has been downgraded to an EVACUATION WARNING.
An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued for East Camino Cielo Road from Gibraltar Road east to the Ventura County Line including Gibraltar Reservoir and Jameson Lake.
The Santa Ynez River Road campgrounds, day use areas and trailheads remain closed.
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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 NE of Buellton
Incident Commander	Molumby/ Schmit/ Dietrich

Current Situation

Total Personnel	2,963
Size	171,750 acres
Percent Contained	65%
Estimated Containment Date	09/07/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Heavy brush containing a high dead component. Some conifer at higher elevations. Live fuel moistures are at 49% which is well below critical levels. A continuous fuel bed lies ahead of the fire.
Fire Behavior	South side: The fire actively backed down into Diablo Canyon throughout the night. North and down canyon winds pushed the fire further down Agua Caliente Canyon. The fire is holding along the Monte Arido Fuel Break. North side: The fire burned intensely throughout the evening in the southern divisions. Heavy smoke conditions have hampered visibility.
Significant Events	South side: An evacuation notice was issued last night for East Camino Cielo Road from Gibraltar east to the Ventura County line. The Paradise Road and Santa Ynez River Recreation remain under an evacuation warning, open to residents only. North side: The fire made a hard push towards the Pendola Rd./ Monte Arido Rd. Junction threatening the Matilija Wilderness. Fire activity on the northwest side of the fire, may compromise the north and east perimeter of fire. CHP has closed Hwy 33 (except to residents) as of 2000 8/17.

Outlook

Planned Actions	South side: Patrol, mop-up, and improve existing control lines. Conduct burnout and holding operations along the Ogilvy Ranch Road, Monte Arido Fuel Break, and Pendola Road. Perform recon, planning and contingency line construction on south east side of the fire and the Santa Barbara front country from Romero Canyon to Lake Casitas. North side: Contain slopovers on northwest side of the fire. Monitor and hold burnout operation. Continue burning from Three Sisters to Potrero Seco Ranch. Structure protection in place for Potrero Seco. Continue road closure for Hwy 33.
Projected Movement	South side: The fire is expected to actively continue spreading to the east up Mono, Diablo, and Agua Caliente Canyons. North side: The fire is expected to continue west and north down the Sisquoc River toward Sierra Madre Ridge, and east toward the Matilija Wilderness
Growth Potential	Extreme.
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme.
Containment Target	South side: Direct and indirect strategy should succeed by 9/7 with success of backfiring. North side: Success rate is expected to be moderate, and is based on ability to anchor and hold on Sierra Madre Ridge toward Hwy 33 and moderate from Hwy 33 west to Three Sisters.
Remarks	Not available

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	4 (g-10) mph NE
Current Temperature	66 degrees
Current Humidity	35 %

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