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Fire Exceeds 13,000 Acres |
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By Tom Schultz
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Friday, July 13 2007 |
UPDATE 12:30 a.m. Friday: The Zaca Fire grew to 13,200 acres and was 37 percent contained Thursday, established in the San Rafael Wilderness east of Manzana and south of the Sisquoc River. More than 2,000 firefighters battled the blaze that began July 4 nine miles north of Los Olivos near Zaca Lake and spread to Los Padres National Forest.
"Conditions were favorable today and firefighters conducted a burning operation to improve containment on the northwest flank," Los Padres Spokeswoman Kathy Good said in a statement. "Bulldozers will continue to construct line on San Rafael Ridge to Santa Cruz Peak as a primary holding line in case the fire continues to move east."
UPDATE 11:45 p.m Wednesday: The Zaca Fire grew to 11,900 acres Wednesday, as officials closed a vast section of Los Padres National Forest. This expanded closure encompassed the entire San Rafael Wilderness and adjacent national forest land roughly from Highway 166 on the north to the Buckhorn Road area on the south. The 302,000 acre area was closed until further notice, officials said. More than 1,700 firefighters battled the blaze that began July 4. It was 37 percent contained. Estimated cost to date: $8.5 million.
* OTHER CLOSURES *
• Happy Canyon Road closed to the east at Baseline Road.
• Figueroa Mountain Road closed to the east at Highway 154.
UPDATE: 9:45 p.m. Tuesday: The Zaca Fire burning the San Rafael Wilderness grew to 10,400 acres Tuesday. Firefighters used 18 bulldozers to build and fortify lines along San Rafael Ridge and along the northeast side of the blaze to protect the community of Tepusquet if the fire jumps the Sisquoc River. Firefighters continued to have success holding the fire on the south side to the Sisquoc River, east of School House Canyon, and north of the Zaca Ridge.
The blaze that began July 4 about 35 miles northeast of Santa Barbara and nine miles north of Los Olivos was 37 percent contained and larger than ever by 7 p.m. More than 1,700 firefighters battled the fire, which started when a metal grinding operation to repair a pipeline on private Bell Canyon ranchland.
* CLOSURES * Figueroa Recreational Area Campgrounds remain closed, including portions of the San Rafael Wilderness. Roads areas remain in effect. Happy Canyon Road was closed to the east at Baseline Road. Figueroa Mountain road was closed to the east at Highway 154.
UPDATE 12:15 a.m. Tuesday: The Zaca Fire burning the San Rafael Wilderness grew to 9,500 acres Monday. Flights resumed over the blaze, a day after a helicopter crashed on takeoff sending a pilot and passenger to the hospital with minor to moderate injuries.
The fire that began Wednesday about 35 miles northeast of Santa Barbara and nine miles north of Los Olivos was 30 percent contained and larger than ever. More than 1,750 firefighters battled the fire, which started when a metal grinding operation to repair a pipeline on private Bell Canyon ranchland.
* NEW RULES ANNOUNCED MONDAY *
• Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest, including developed campgrounds and Campfire Use Sites.
• Recreational target shooting is prohibited in all areas of the National Forest except the Winchester Gun Club in Santa Barbara County and the Ojai Valley Gun Club in Ventura County. Hunting with a valid State of California hunting license is exempt from this restriction.
• Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the national forest except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated Campfire Use Site.
• Portable stoves and lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel, are allowed only in designated Campfire Use Sites with a valid California Campfire Permit. Campfire permits are available free-of-charge at any Forest Service office. You must clear all flammable material for a distance of five feet in all directions from your camp stove, have a shovel available, and ensure that a responsible person attends the stove at all times when it is in use.
• Internal combustion engines may be operated only on roads or trails that are designated for such use. (This restriction is in effect year-round.) Make sure that your engine is operating properly and you have an approved spark arrester.
UPDATE 10 a.m. Monday: Firefighters from the city of Santa Barbara apparently were first on the scene of the helicopter crash. The pilot had been able to jump free, however the co-pilot was trapped in the wreckage and was extricated in about 20 minutes, officials said.
 Officials stage at the gate to Zaca Lake. Photo by Tom Schultz
Accident investigators were expected to arrive at the scene at 9 a.m. Monday, said incident spokesman Andy Yamamoto, a Redondo Beach city firefighter. Both people onboard, hired as contractors, reportedly were taken via ambulance to Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital.
The fire apparently did not decrease in size from Saturday, when it was estimated at 7,500 acres. Rather, more accurate mapping resulted in the new acreage estimate. More than 1,900 personnel from across the region and state battled the blaze, which began Wednesday when a metal grinding operation to repair a pipeline on private Bell Canyon ranchland sparked the blaze about nine miles north of Los Olivos.
No other injuries were reported. Estimated cost to date: $5.9 million.
UPDATE 8:55 p.m. Saturday: The fire roared into Los Padres National Forest Saturday, expanding to 7,500 acres as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze, which was only 15 percent contained by 8:45 p.m. and had already cost $4.5 million. Officials warned of the potential for drift smoke traveling over Santa Barbara, and said a metal grinding operation to repair a pipeline on private Bell Canyon ranchland sparked the blaze that began Wednesday morning about nine miles north of Los Olivos.
More than 1,500 firefighters fought the fire Saturday; 11 had suffered injures since Wednesday including heat exhaustion, a twisted ankle and broken leg. More than 20 structures at the private Zaca Lake resort about 3/4 of a mile from the flames were listed as "threatened," said Kathy Good, a spokeswoman for Los Padres National Forest.
"It is estimated they have about 13 miles of line to build in order to encircle this fire," Good said. "We know its going to be around for a while. It could grow significantly larger. It crossed into the national forest into the San Rafael Wilderness in the area of Sulphur Creek . . . near the west fork of Mill Creek."
* CLOSED * Figueroa Mountain area campgrounds, day use areas, recreation residences, and portions of the San Rafael Wilderness. Private land is not affected. Also, Figueroa Mtn. Road from Hwy 154, and Happy Canyon Road at Baseline Road.
UPDATE 12:25 p.m. Saturday: The Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County backcountry burned on at an estimated 4,600 acres Saturday morning, as 1,100 firefighters battled steep terrain and maintained a difficult grip on the blaze, which remained 30 percent contained. The following Roads were closed: Happy Canyon Road east at Baseline Road, and Figueroa Mountain east at Highway 154.
"The fire is currently burning in very rugged inaccessible terrain," firefighters said in a statement. "Significant fire activity occurred late in the afternoon on Friday. The fire has now burned into the Los Padres National Forest. Approximately 1,000 acres of forest land has burned. The San Rafael Wilderness is threatened. Control efforts are focused on containing the fire to South of the Sisquoc River, west of the San Rafael Wilderness, and north of Zaca Lake Road. Crews are experiencing high heat and low humidity on the fireline. Significant resources are arriving."
UPDATE 8:30 p.m. Friday: The Zaca Fire grew to 4,600 acres by Friday evening, as 1,200 firefighters battled steep terrain and contained 30 percent of the wildland blaze. The fire entered 1,00o acres of the dry Los Padres National Forest and continued to burn east in and around Lion Canyon. Officials said it was too difficult to say when it might be fully doused. The forest was closed in and around Figueroa Mountain as a precaution.
"It's going to be a difficult fire to corral," Kathy Good, a Los Padres spokeswoman, said around 5 p.m., when the fire was estimated at 3,000 acres. "It could get much larger."
Officials had more than 20 aircraft on the scene. No structures were in imminent danger. A total of nine firefighters had suffered heat exhaustion since the fire broke out Wednesday morning.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m. Thursday: The fire today grew to 1,000 acres, and firefighters said it might be 1,200 by tonight. The blaze was 30 percent contained. More than 880 firefighters were on scene as temperatures soared into the 90s, with as many as 1,200 expected by evening.
Officials used 15 air tankers and 5 helicopters to drop retardant and patrol the blaze. Three firefighters suffered minor heat exhaustion and another a minor ankle injury. Still no structures threatened, according to Santa Barbara County Capt. Eli Iskow, a department spokesman.
UPDATE 9:45 p.m. Wednesday: The fire grew to 700 acres with at least two firefighters treated for minor head exhaustion. No structures threatened.
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ORIGINAL STORY ... July 4, 2007
By Tom Schultz / SBN
A fire raged across Santa Barbara County wildland north of Los Olivos Wednesday — amid hot, dry conditions and July 4 celebrations.
The fire began around 10:30 a.m. and quickly consumed an estimated 500-plus acres of Bell Canyon near Zaca Lake off Foxen Canyon Road. By late afternoon, it drew some 200 firefighters from across the region. Hundreds more were on the way, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Eli Iskow, a department spokesman.
"We'll be on this fire for days," he said as a thick plume of gray smoke billowed in the distance. "It's very hot. It's difficult to reach."
 An air tanker attacks the blaze. Photo by Tom Schultz
Temperatures soared into the 90s and two firefighters had been treated for minor injuries, Iskow said.
No structures were damaged or threatened.
The South Coast front range was not in danger. The fire burned about nine miles north of Los Olivos and 35 miles from Santa Barbara. Likewise, Foxen Canyon wineries remained open Wednesday, though officials asked anyone who did not need to be there to avoid the area.
This comes days after a similar fire in Los Padres National Forest devoured more than 480 acres and forced campground evacuations along Paradise Road. That blaze, the Rancho Fire, started Saturday and was fully contained Tuesday.
Conditions were ripe for trouble. The region has been under a general, high fire "Red Flag Alert" since Friday, brought on by high temperatures, low humidity, significantly low rainfall this season and an ongoing potential for sundowner winds.
The Zaca Fire spread amid slight winds estimated at 5 to 10 mph in lowlands.
By 4 p.m., authorities had six air tankers and five helicopters on the scene, to drop retardant and coordinate the attack. |
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