CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire - Acres: 38,400 Acres -70 percent Containment

Friday, August 3, 2007

InciWeb: Zaca Wildland Fire - Acres: 38,400 Acres -70 percent Containment

InciWeb:: Zaca Wildland Fire -

ANNOUNCEMENT
Evacuation Order Issued for Paradise Road and the Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibralter Dam Effective 8/3/2008 at 4:30 pm

Zaca Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 21 MIN. AGO

ANNOUNCEMENT

Evacuation Order Issued for Paradise Road and the Lower Santa Ynez River Road to Gibralter Dam Effective 8/3/2008 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 resi... more

Photo of Zaca Fire - large dark column of smoke

Credit: Dan Segan

view pictures || view maps

Summary

Morning Update - Friday August 3

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: 38,400 Acres

Percent Containment: 70 percent

Estimated Containment September 7, 2007

Resources: Hand Crews: 40; Dozers: 11; Engines: 29; Water Tenders: 27; Helicopters: 7-Type 1, 6-Type 2 and 3-Type 3; Air Tankers: 8 on order; Air Attack: 2; Total Personnel: 1,494; Injuries: 12; Structures Threatened: 14; Fireline-to-Build: 15 miles; Estimated Cost-to-Date: $42.8 million

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 closed at First Crossing.
For travelers driving on San Marcos Pass (Hwy 154) tune to 1040 AM.
Los Padres National Forest Closure information and map are available at http://www.inciweb.org/.

Significant Events: An EVACUATION ORDER continues for the Peachtree Community. The status of the order is being re-evaluated daily. 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: Fire activity in Black Canyon was visible last night from the Santa Ynez Valley and Hwy 154. The fire was active through the night due to the evening down slope winds and low humidity. The fire is expected to remain active above the morning inversion layer. Islands of unburned fuel continue to burn within the fire perimeter. Direct hand line construction will continue into Mission Pine Basin and adjacent to Black Canyon south of Santa Cruz Peak. The hand 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.

Safety Message: Travelers using SR-154, please be cautious of firefighting equipment and personnel. Paradise Road, 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 with occasional drift smoke as far away as Santa Barbara, Goleta or other areas of the county.

Approved by Unified Incident Commanders:

AARON GELOBTER/ MARK SCHMITT

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 Schmi

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,494
Size	38,400 acres
Percent Contained	70%
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 remains active above the morning inversion with a large amount of dead fuels supporting the fire's spread.
Significant Events	Direct line construction progressed south of Santa Cruz Peak along the ridgeline bordering Black Canyon. Fire activity was visible from Santa Ynez Valley.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Direct line construction continues eastward on the North side of the fire into Mission Pine Basin. Direct line construction will continue on the Southeast along the ridge bordering Black Canyon south of Santa Cruz Peak. Indirect line construction will continue in the west, southeast and south. Dozers continue to clean up existing fuelbreaks as contingency lines. Structure protection groups continue to clean up brush in the Peachtree and Paradise areas.
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	6 (g 13) mph NE
Current Temperature	77 degrees
Current Humidity	13 %

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