CA-LPF - Chalk Wildland Fire - 925 Acres - 5%

Summary

The Chalk Fire started at approximately 7:30 p.m Saturday, September 27 in the upper Mill Creek drainage area of Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County. The fire is about 22 miles southwest of King City and about 2 miles east of Highway 1. It is primarily south of Nacimiento Fergusson Road which connects Fort Hunter Liggett to Highway 1.

The fire has burned approximately 800-900 acres in oak and brush in steep, rugged terrain. There is very little to no wind on the fire and it is primarily slope and fuel-driven.

Earlier this afternoon the fire reached and crossed to the north side of Nacimiento Fergusson Road; it is also on both the west and east sides of South Coast Ridge Road.

Residents of three parcels of private land within the national forest in the Prewitt Ridge, Alms Ridge and Mill Creek areas, were advised to evacuate earlier today. The fire is approximately 2 miles from the nearest home.

All National Forest campgrounds along the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, South Coast Ridge Road and Prewitt Ridge, have been evacuated.

An Evacuation Advisory has been issued for Highway 1 in the Limekiln, Mill Creek, Hermitage and Harlan Property areas. This advisory is a precautionary notice that people in these areas should be prepared to evacuate if an evacuation order is issued.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Road closures: Nacimiento Fergusson Road is closed at Highway 1 on the west side and at the national forest boundary on the east side. South Coast Ridge Road is closed at Nacimiento Fergusson Road and Highway 1 at Plaskett Creek.

Highway 1 is open.

More detailed information about the location and status of the fire and the resources assigned will be available after 7:30 a.m. Monday.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	Saturday September 27th, 2008 aprox 07:30 PM
Location	22 mi west of King City / 2 mi east of Hwy 1
Incident Commander	Mike Kremke - Usfs

Current Situation

Total Personnel	518
Size	925 acres
Percent Contained	5%
Fuels Involved	Oak and brush. Large volume of dead and down material in fire fuel bed. No prior recorded fire history in area of involvement.
Fire Behavior	Short range crown fires observed. Spotting ahead of the fire up to 300 feet.
Significant Events	Evacuations were called for 3 parcels of private land within the national forest, in the area of Prewitt Ridge, Alms Ridge and Mill Creek for a total of 20 residences. It appears that most of the residents have chosen not to evacuate.

Outlook

Planed Actions	Continue to hold and burn out the South Coast Ridge Road. Burn out dozer line constructed from Highway 1 from Prewitt Ridge west to Highway 1.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme (steep, rugged)
Remarks	Not available

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	5-7 mph S
Current Temperature	73 degrees
Current Humidity	20 %