CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : Inciweb: Harris Wildland Fire - 84,300 acres acres

Friday, October 26, 2007

Inciweb: Harris Wildland Fire - 84,300 acres acres - 20 percent contained

Harris Wildland Fire

INCIDENT UPDATED 1:10 HRS. AGO

Summary

This fire has burned 84,000 acres and is 20 percent contained. The fire started October 21 and is burning at Harris Ranch Road and both sides of Highway 94 in Portrero in San Diego County. There have been 21 civilian and 12 firefighter injuries, as well as one death on this fire. 97 homes, 2 commercial properties and 17 outbuildings have been destroyed, and 250 additional structures are damaged. Damage assessments are still being conducted. 1,500 homes are still threatened.

Evacuation orders remain in effect. Re-entry for residents only was allowed in the Thousand Trails, Potrero and Tecate neighborhoods. The communities of San Miguel, Portrero, Barrett Junction, Barett Lake area, Engineer Springs, Dulzura, Deerhorn Valley, Lawson Valley, Jamul, Lyons Valley and homes along Millar Ranch Road are threatened. 1,341 firefighters are assigned under a unified command. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $5.4 million. Harris Fire Information Line (619) 590-3160.

Cal Fire Web Site

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	10/21/2007 at 0930 hrs.
Location	HARRIS RANCH RD & HWY 94, POTRERO
Incident Commander	Howard Windsor

Current Situation

Total Personnel	1,341
Size	84,300 acres
Percent Contained	20%
Estimated Containment Date	10/31/2007 at hrs.
Fuels Involved	BRUSH AND GRASS.
Fire Behavior	Active burning on the northern and eastern portions of the fire. Overnight humidities hindered firing operations.
Significant Events	Approximately 500 more homes were ordered evacuated yesterday. Yesterday re-entry for residents only was allowed in the Thousand Trails, Potrero and Tecate neighborhoods. Today re-entry for residents only will be allowed in the communities of western Jamul.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Continue evacuation warnings of communities that may be impacted, continue search and rescue operations, protect structures and construct direct line where possible. Direct line construction in Hauser Canyon will occur to protect Lake Marina and the community of Hauser. Contingency planning for fire movement to the north and east. Continue damage inspection of burned structures and evaluation of re-entry of civilians to some evacuated areas.
Projected Movement	Fire will continue to move to the east/northeast.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	High
Containment Target	Low confidence. Personnel are exhausted. Some additional resources are trickling in.
Remarks	CDF Team 9 is in unified command with Forest Service, and San Miguel. 5 civilians have been killed and 21 injured by this fire. 4500 people are or have been threatened and evacuated. An estimated 200 homes have been destroyed or damaged. 1500 homes are or have been threatened. Detailed damage assessment is about 55% complete and those numbers are reported in section 24. Initial attack resources are being rested. Crew R&R stations have been established on the fire. Resource requests are critical. NORCAL Team 1, a Type 2 federal incident management team, is integrated with CAL FIRE Team 9.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	2 mph SE
Current Temperature	48 degrees
Current Humidity	33 %

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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.

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