InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire - 44,400 acres 60% Percent Containment: 70 percent

Zaca Wildland Fire

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INCIDENT UPDATED

ANNOUNCEMENT

Evacuation Order Issued for Paradise Road and Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibraltar Dam Effective August 3, 2007 at 4:30 pm
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and Zaca Fire officials have elevated the 2:00 pm Evacuation Warning to an immediate EVACUATION ORDER for the residents and visitors of the Paradise Road... more

Credit: Zaca Fire GIS section

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Summary

Morning Update Saturday August 4, 2007

Location: 15 miles northeast of Buellton, Santa Barbara County

Joint Unified Incident Management Teams: Los Padres National Forest and Santa Barbara County Fire Dept

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

Acres: 44,400 Acres Percent Containment: 60 percent Estimated Containment September 7, 2007

Resources: Hand Crews: 51; Dozers: 15; Engines: 64; Water Tenders: 27; Helicopters: 7-Type 1, 6-Type 2 and 3-Type 3; Air Tankers: 8 on order; Air Attack: 2; Total Personnel: 1,803; Injuries: 12; Structures Threatened: 453; Fireline-to-Build: 15 miles; Estimated Cost-to-Date: $45.6 million

Significant Events: An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for Paradise Road and Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibraltar Dam. The Evacuation Order includes the Paradise Road Community, Santa Ynez Road Recreational Areas to Gibraltar Dam, Los Prietos Boys Camp and the Rancho Oso Guest Ranch. An EVACUATION ORDER continues for the Peachtree Community. An EVACUATION WARNING remains in place for Happy Canyon Road north of Baseline Avenue, including the ranches between Lake Cachuma and McKinley Ridge. The Los Padres National Forest expanded closure is in effect. The closure area is approximately 649,000 acres and is between Hwy 166 in northern Santa Barbara County and Highway 33 and Matilija Canyon in Ventura County. Detailed information on the closure can be found at http://www.inciweb.org/ or at your local Forest Service Office.

Current Situation: The fire was very active into the night above the 3500 foot inversion and continued to burn to the south and east. It did not cross contingency lines at Old Man Mountain Road. Residents and visitors along Paradise Road were evacuated by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. A section of Highway 154 is closed temporarily in order to safely conduct the evacuations. Heavy smoke and ash will be visible throughout the Central Coast. Direct hand line construction will continue into Mission Pine Basin and adjacent to Black Canyon south of Santa Cruz Peak. The fire line at the head of Peachtree Canyon continues to hold. Dozers continue to reinforce contingency lines in the existing fuel breaks near Paradise Rd. Structure protection groups are in place in the Peachtree and Paradise areas and continue working on improvements around structures.

Current Forest and Road 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 Order Area and is currently closed.
• Hwy 154 is closed to general traffic between Foothill Road and Hwy 246. Travelers driving on San Marcos Pass (Hwy 154) should tune to 1040 AM.
• Los Padres National Forest closure information and map are available at http://www.inciweb.org/.

Safety Message: Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Gibraltar Road, Painted Cave Road and East Camino Cielo residents are also asked to be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel.

Additional Information: In light of the current weather conditions and fire behavior, smoke from the Zaca Fire may be visible over a wide area as far away as Santa Barbara, Goleta or other areas of the county.

Approved by Unified Incident Commanders:

AARON GELOBTER MARK SCHMITT

Boise Incident Management Team Santa Barbara County Fire Dept

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	Aaron Gelobter/ Mark Schm

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,803
Size	44,400 acres
Percent Contained	60%
Estimated Containment Date	09/07/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	Chaparral and trees. The brush contains a large amount of dead material. Live fuel moisture is below critical level in most areas. A continuous fuelbed lies ahead of the fire's main direction of spread.
Fire Behavior	The fire was very active until about 2:00am above the 3500 foot inversion. The southern flank of the active fire is visible from portions of Highway 154 and Santa Ynez Valley.
Significant Events	The fire continued to advance south and east during the night. Extreme fire behavior prevented diret handline construction along the eastern front yesterday. More firefighting resources began arriving overnight. Highway 154 is closed to the public from Cathedral Oaks/Foothill (192) to Highway 246.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Direct hand line construction will continue where possible in all divisions. Work on indirect line will continue as part of the contingency plans. Dozer groups continues to cleanup existing fuelbreaks as contingency lines. Peachtree and Paradise structure protection groups are in place and continue improvements around structures.
Projected Movement	There is a high probability of the fire increasing significantly in size.
Growth Potential	Extreme.
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme.
Containment Target	The lack of access and rugged terrain require a long term strategy of both direct and indirect attack with contingency planning that is being implemented over a 5 to 6 week period.
Remarks	Not available

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	8-12 mph NE
Current Temperature	70 degrees
Current Humidity	20 %