more articles like this
Fire In The Mountains
updated: Aug 11, 2009, 8:44 PM

Source: Forest Service

La Brea Fire Information

Aug. 11 Evening Update

Los Padres National Forest

California Interagency Incident Management Team 3/CAL FIRE

Jeanne Pincha-Tulley/R.Lewin Incident Commanders

Acres: 21,029 Personnel: 1277 Containment: 10%

Start Date: Aug. 8, 2009

For more Information: www.inciweb.org; or call (805) 961-5770 from 6am-10pm

The La Brea Fire was once again very active, but good success was achieved in checking the fire in some areas. The east flank was most active, and firefighters worked hard on a portion of the fire which burned over the Sierra Madre ridge and pushed down into the Moon and Eckart Canyon area. Additional resources were requested to work through the afternoon and into tonight. On the north flank, a strong combination of air and ground firefighting resources have checked the blaze near the Miranda Pine Campground extending toward Treplett Mountain. Over 100 firefighters will work hard to hold that area tonight. On the southeast flank, crews completed building portions of fireline and will continue work tonight in the Horse Canyon area. The fire did not make any significant movement on the west flank.

The fire, still mostly in the San Rafael Wilderness, is challenging due to the steep and inaccessible terrain. Dense, extremely dry chapparal, long distance spotting and moderate to rapid rates of spread continue to challenge firefighting efforts. Extreme fire behavior has been observed since the fire began. The northeast portion of the fire area has not burned since 1922. The fire has not entered the Sisquoc River area.

The La Brea Fire is now under unified command with the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE. There is significant fire suppression vehicle traffic and congestion on Highway 166. The public is urged to seek an alternate route and to use extra caution when traveling the highway.

Current Situation: The fire is now estimated at 21,029 acres. Firefighters will work on the fireline throughout the night, focusing on Sierra Madre Ridge and the slop over in the upper reaches of Moon Canyon, above Cuyama Valley. Some crews are camping at safe locations near the fireline minimizing travel time. Additional crews and support equipment continue to arrive.

Existing dozer lines from the Zaca Fire in 2007 are being prepared for use as firelines. On the southwest side of the fire, previously burned areas of the Bald Fire are slowing the fire spread.

Weather: The outlook for Wednesday is mostly sunny and clear. Temperatures at the lower elevations are anticipated to be 92-98 degrees, with upper elevations temperatures expected at 84-92 degrees.

Evacuations: Effective at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 11, 2009, an Evacuation Order was issued by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office for the following areas due to fire activity of the La Brea Fire:

Western Boundary: Sierra Madre Road; Southern Boundary: Cottonwood Road; Eastern Boundary: Highway 166; Northern Boundary: Spoor Canyon. This area includes Moon and Eckert Canyons. An Evacuation Warning exists for areas bound by Cottonwood Road and Wasioja Road, and between Highway 166 and Sierra Madre Road.

Closures: An emergency closure order is in effect for portions of the Los Padres National Forest in and around the fire. For more information, please contact Fire Information at (805) 961-5770 from 6am-10pm or http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1803/

Flight Restrictions: Temporary flight restrictions have been put in place over the fire area.

Resources assigned to the fire:

Engines: 39 Crews: 49 Dozers: 19 Helicopters: 10 Total personnel: 1,277

# # # #

Santa Ynez Times (8/10/9)- Firefighters were given a mild break Tuesday on the west and south flanks of the big La Brea Fire burning east of Santa Maria, but flames continued to spill east over the Sierra Madre Ridge and race north toward Highway 166, threatening numerous ranches.

photo by John Wiley

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 33849	2009-08-08 06:27 PM
So, no fire near Cachuma Lake then? from where I live in SYV, it looks like smoke is in 2 separate areas: north, as coming from the area described by 1st posted comment by County PIO, and east from Cachuma-ish area...but that could be smoke that has drifted, I guess.
COMMENT 33850	2009-08-08 06:46 PM
Here - I found a current update at this California fire blog. Cal Fire incidents page seems to be slowly updated. http://calfire.blogspot.com/ I find 1200 acres already to be very large, given the sizes of the Santa ana wind related fires of last year - because it doesn't seem particularly windy or low humidity today
COMMENT 33851	2009-08-08 07:18 PM
Huge plume of smoke over western Goleta now. I actually have a few bits of ash actually drifting down now.
SHOREBIRD	2009-08-08 07:28 PM
In Goleta the smoke is drifting in front of the sun and the sun is bright orange just like the last fire.
COMMENT 33853	2009-08-08 07:41 PM
This smoke over goleta in front of the sun reminds me alot of the gap fire
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-08 07:52 PM
I've just emailed a small pic of the smokey sunset to Ed, in case it can be added to this discussion. Felt pretty spooky to see the smoke, even though it was clearly not near us. Deja vu.
COMMENT 33855	2009-08-08 07:52 PM
the calfire blog also estimates the fire's location at +34° 57' 5.23" -119° 58' 40.80" Map -> http://tinyurl.com/nuxguq
COMMENT 33859	2009-08-08 08:47 PM
Pretty remote area from the GoogleMap. Maybe shooters started it??
TENORELEVEN	2009-08-08 09:38 PM
...or maybe a runaway horse.
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-09 12:11 AM
InciWeb lists it as the La Brea fire, but the website's so busy maybe it will be helpful to have the most relevant of their 9pm update info posted here. ---From InciWeb page:--- Location: 34.95, -119.978 ...STARTED AT 2:50 PM TODAY, IS BURNING IN STEEP, INACCESSABLE TERRAIN IN THE SAN RAFAEL WILDERNESS. HEAVY FUELS, LONG RANGE SPOTTING AND MODERATE TO RAPID RATES OF SPREAD HAVE BEEN OBSERVED. FIRE BEHAVIOR WILL MOST LIKELY INCREASE TOMORROW WITH PREDICTED HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LOWERING RELATIVE HUMIDITY. Cause Under Investigation Location 10 Miles S/W of New Cuyama Total Personnel 362 Size 1,300 acres ...RAPID RATE OF SPREAD, LONG RANGE SPOTTING, AND ASSOCIATED EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. ...THE FIRE WENT FROM 150 TO 1200 ACRES IN LESS THAN 3 HOURS. Growth Potential EXTREME Terrain Difficulty EXTREME Wind Conditions 8 mph NW Temperature 80 degrees Humidity 21%
EDONE	2009-08-09 07:39 AM
Here is the location of the fire on a Google Map
COMMENT 33874	2009-08-09 09:48 AM
The fire is up 2500 acres according to the blog. Update: 0600 hotlist -Link - Fire reported at 2500 acres. air attack doubled up order for air tankers for tomorrow. tankers in the air at 0800. CA-IMT #3 (Pinch-Tulley) has been assigned.
NSHUTTERBUG	2009-08-09 10:51 AM
There is a poster "firedude" posting here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/178/story/810069.html?storylink=omni_popular with info as of 10:24 today: "Current Situation, Total Personnel 362, Size 2,500 acres, Fuels Involved Chaparral. Fire Behavior The fire pushed out in all directions last night and major runs as well as spotting were observed. Significant Events: No action was taken during the evening due to the lack of an anchor point, inaccessible terrain and extreme fire behavior."
GINGER1	2009-08-09 11:37 AM
Note that, for this fire in a remote area of the forest with only a few condors and lizards threatened, there is far more equipment and personnel working it (with a considerably more rapid response) than what happened during the Jesusita fire.
COMMENT 33882	2009-08-09 12:23 PM
Ginger not sure where you get your information but its wrong, the personnel assigned to Jesusita within the first 24 hours was more than double the number on this fire. In addition there were at least 11 aircraft assigned to the fire by that time. As for response the first attack on Jesusita was also quicker which make sense as it was in a urban area. You can look up the information and compare them side by side and see the response to Jesusita vs this fire.
GINGER1	2009-08-09 03:07 PM
Well correct me I'm mistaken, but below I've posted where the information was found and, unless I'm reading it wrong, I'm right. But first, the current data from the same source: http://calfire.blogspot.com/2009/08/ca-lpf-la-brea- wildland-fire-300-acres.html Note that the fire “started” at 2:50pm and one and half hours later there were 4 fixed wing aircraft and one helicopter. And those number soon became 8 and 4. We did not have anywhere near that kind of equipment on the Jesusita fire, not even until late the next day. By then it was too late. Now go here: http://calfire.blogspot.com/search?q=jesusita+fire and read Tuesday, May 5 and May 6 entries. Note that it wasn’t until the next day that there were two helicopters on it and not until late that day before fixed wing were made available. Keep reading the data and then think about what would have been if we had a different kind of response. I've saved the entire 75 pg post as a PDF, in case the referenced site becomes unavailable.
COMMENT 33886	2009-08-09 04:27 PM
Check this link: http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/16/offic ials-provide-public-jesusita-fire-recap/ also the county press releases which are still there at the countys website has their documents about the fire which shows 880 something personnel on the fire by around 5pm the next day which was about 28-29 hours from 1st report. The county had two choppers on scene battling the fire within the 1st hour of the fire which was even commented on here at edhat if you go back to the archive. There was a shortage of air resources cited at two times with 1) being the contract problem with USFS out of Santa Maria and 2) weather conditions grounded the aircraft at one point. Just my opinion but having lived through enough fires in town when they have the winds nothing is going to stop them until the conditions subside. If you recall Painted Cave did its damage in a matter of hours and Santa Barbaras footprint has expanded with more residences into the foothills since then. I was honestly surprised more homes were not lost in Mission Canyon. I could be incorrect in some of the reading as well but I do recall the choppers on the first day.
COMMENT 33888	2009-08-09 06:12 PM
I work at the Museum of Natural History. I took a photo with my cell phone at 1:40 on Tuesday the 5th. 10 minutes after the start. I'll post if I can figure out how. There was a thin line of smoke ascending. We could hear the sirens responding already. I remember specifically people saying "should we call 911?" With others saying "don't you hear the sirens?". Please don't malign our front liners, I too have been through more fires than I wish to list. They are getting better and better at protecting lives and property.
GINGER1	2009-08-09 06:23 PM
That is absolutely untrue that there were two helicopters on the fire within the first hour. Where did you hear that? The call to request the first did not happen until 47 min *after the fire started*. It doesn't matter a damn that there were x number of personnel at the end of the next day----it's the initial attack that matters. No 'copters, no fixed wing dropping fire retardant. Very different than the current fire, eh? I wont go on. No one seems to care whether or not the response to the fire was mishandled.
COMMENT 33890	2009-08-09 07:04 PM
Ginger, with all due respect, every disaster is a learning experience for everyone involved. Fire and nature behave so irratically that no one can predict with100% certainty what will happen. With the increasingly devastating fires over the last few years, it is to be expected that each fire will be attacked more aggressively than the last one. Arguing about how many copters, who responded when to what fire in the past doesn't serve much purpose. It is always easy to Monday morning quaterback. There are always things that could have been done better in ANY situation. What matters right now is this fire and the people who are risking their health and lives to stop it from developing into an even worse situation.
COMMENT 33891	2009-08-09 07:27 PM
From the Independent which had good coverage of the fire.... "..Mark Schmidt, County Fire Division Chief and unified commander, provided a play-by-play recap of the day’s events, stating that within the first hour of response, 10 engines, one bulldozer, one water tender, one hand crew, and two helicopters were on the scene.." If you look at other local news reports as well they say the same thing. If you also look at the edhat archive of the story and the initial comments from people in the 2p-3p hour on the 5th hearing or seeing both helicopters working the fire.
COMMENT 33892	2009-08-09 08:13 PM
Up to 10,000 Acres!!! Holy crap
NSHUTTERBUG	2009-08-09 09:05 PM
JEFFINSB - Apparently one has to send a photo attached to an e-mail to Ed.
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-09 09:40 PM
From InciWeb 9:40pm: 08/09/2009 @1900 The La Brea Fire, which started yesterday at 2:50 pm, continues to burn in an area of the San Rafael Wilderness that is very steep and difficult to reach on the ground. Heavy fuels (vegetation), long range spotting and moderate to rapid rates of spread continue to hamper fire fighters in their efforts to contain the fire. Extreme fire behavior was observed, as the fire made major runs throughout the day and was fuel driven. Flames from the fire could be seen on the ridgeline from areas along SR-166 this afternoon. The portion of the forest from the intersection of SR-166 and Sierra Madre Road east to McPherson Peak, south to the Sisquoc and west to the forest boundary is currently closed due to the fire emergency. Campgrounds in the area have been evacuated. Total Personnel: 644, Size: 10,000 acres, Wind: 10 mph NE, Temperature: 79 degrees, Humidity: 29%
COMMENT 33897	2009-08-09 10:08 PM
the current fire updates are greatly appreciated...edhat rocks, as usual!
EDFAN	2009-08-10 07:18 AM
Think the La Brea Fire is big? "The largest fire in the County's (recorded) history, the Matilija, started on 7 September 1933, then burned nearly 220,000 acres of Santa Barbara and Ventura Countys' rugged back country. Three weeks, earlier, on August 19th, the Indian Canyon fire burned 30,800 acres in the wilderness north of the city of Santa Barbara." In chronicling the history of wildfires in our area, firefighter and historian Robert Mosley (who sadly died in the line of duty clearing brush from local trails) shows us that fires of this size are simply part of our coastal desert biome. In prehistory (according to Mosely) wildfires would burn all summer, periodically renewing hundreds of thousands of acres.
GOWEST	2009-08-10 07:48 AM
I believe the Zaca Fire burned over 240,000 acres.
Z28RACERGIRL	2009-08-10 08:06 AM
Yup. Zaca at 240000 is second biggest in recorded history, after Cedar fire of 2003 which was 280000.
COMMENT 33906	2009-08-10 08:33 AM
If it's in such a remote area of the San Rafael Wilderness, why don't they just let it burn? It's a natural process...
COMMENT 33910	2009-08-10 11:27 AM
There are several North American wildfires that have burned well over a million acres and the Miramichi Fire in Canada burned over 3 million acres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wildfires#North_America Those are some big fires.
Z28RACERGIRL	2009-08-10 11:52 AM
Pardon me, I didn't say in California. That's the stats I was posting.
COMMENT 33913	2009-08-10 12:08 PM
EDFAN: Do you know where i can find more info about prehistoric fires in the area - Did Robert write a text or anything? I am curious about how the land maintained itself prior to accidental fire ignitions (from people). If we had a lot of lightning here I would understand but I just don't see how the fires used to start and how important it is to the ecosystem (not as a fire prevention matter but a rejuvenation matter), that's why I would like to read more.
COMMENT 33918	2009-08-10 01:39 PM
I know this part of the Los Padres like the back of my hand. The reason for such heavy firefighting at an early stage has to be related to the fuel. Most people don't understand what 100 year chapparal can do once it starts going up in flames. Oak trees thousands of years old will be completely burned to a crisp. And there is a veritable Oak forest in those hills. There are manzanitas 20 feet high. Chemise about 15 feet tall. Greasewood 8 feet tall. This is virgin territory with respect to fires in the past 100 years or so, or some of it is anyway. The Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary is very nearby. There is an immense amount of wildlife too. It is a hunter's dream back in there. And there are private ranches with lots of cows too completely surrounded by the Los Padres. I know they say they don't know what started the fire but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the fire was started by sparks coming from that new "green" steel core ammunition that is supposedly good to the environment and to the Condors. Lead core does not spark. Steel core does. Go figure.. I guess a fire is better than a Condor getting lead poisoning.
COMMENT 33921	2009-08-10 02:20 PM
The whole steel core ammo is such a ridiculous law. I don't know who was smoking what when they came up with that. Of course we will see more fires from stray bullets hitting rocks and creating sparks(sparks that would not be there with lead ammo). But i guess a bird is more powerful than common sense.
COMMENT 33929	2009-08-10 03:55 PM
Bryane, see the book Before the Wilderness: Environmental Management by Native Californians, edited by Thomas C. Blackburn and Kat Anderson, Ballena Press 1993. It includes an article "Vegetation Burning by the Chumash," which should answer some of your questions. The Museum of Natural History has it in their library and for sale in their store.
NSHUTTERBUG	2009-08-10 04:22 PM
There is lots of information at this site as well: http://www.californiachaparral.com/chaparralmyths.html
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-10 04:31 PM
The infrared sat. footprint of the fire is bigger than at noon, but perhaps less hot. Looks like some new info on InciWeb: The portion of the forest from the intersection of SR-166 and Sierra Madre Road east to McPherson Peak, south to the Sisquoc and west to the forest boundary is currently closed due to the fire emergency. Campgrounds in the area have been evacuated. Law enforcement and California Team 3 would like to remind the public that there is an increase in fire support vehicles on Highway 166. Please use extra caution when traveling the highway. Temporary flight restrictions have been put in place over the fire area.
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-10 06:11 PM
6pm update on InciWeb: Total Personnel: 580, Size: 14,778 acres. A closure of the forest in and around the area of the fire is in place. Evacuations of hunters and campers in front of and adjacent to the fire were made. Planned Actions: Continue direct attack on the southern and east perimeter of the fire. Crews will also continue constructing contingency lines outside of the wilderness. Wind: 8-14 mph NW, Temperature: 52-66, Humidity: 55-70%
COMMENT 33939	2009-08-10 08:13 PM
ash falling in Nipomo this a.m. Sunday the smoke kept the sun from shining through all morning. Thought it was fog, but turned out to be smoke. It was drifting out past SLO towards Morro Bay this afternoon. Thanks PERRYMON for the description of the flora. After flying out to Cuyama once, it looked to be pretty barren from 1500 ft. Not so it seems.
EDONE	2009-08-10 08:56 PM
There is updated Forest Service Update on the main story page.
COMMENT 33944	2009-08-10 11:02 PM
Calfire is saying it's up to 20,600+ acres
EDONE	2009-08-11 10:13 AM
Evacuation Warning has been issued. link
POPE	2009-08-11 01:06 PM
La Brea (orange), Zaca (Red), Gap (blue), Tea (Red), and Jesusita (Purple). That's a lot of County consumed. Note that the eastern side of the fire is a large area that burned sometime in the last decade. I imagine they will keep it pinned between Sierra Madre Rd and the northern Zaca perimeter. Larger Version
COMMENT 33995	2009-08-11 01:19 PM
That map is amazing puts it in a much better perspective thanks for sharing
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-11 01:52 PM
Thanks for posting the map, Pope. I'd forgotten how massive Zaca was. I've just sent Ed a cropped and slightly reduced copy of the latest La Brea map. The NOAA sat. visible and infrared images still show a pretty large active burn, and winds from the southeast.
COMMENT 34036	2009-08-11 09:05 PM
Great photos up on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/firegroundphotos/3808163441/
JOHN WILEY	2009-08-12 12:08 PM
Inciweb noon 12/12/ update: The La Brea Fire was once again very active, but good success was achieved in checking the fire in some areas. The east flank was most active, and firefighters worked hard on a portion of the fire which burned over the Sierra Madre ridge and pushed down into the Moon and Eckart Canyon area. Additional resources were requested to work through the afternoon and into tonight. On the north flank, a strong combination of air and ground firefighting resources have checked the blaze near the Miranda Pine Campground extending toward Treplett Mountain. Over 100 firefighters will work hard to hold that area tonight. On the southeast flank, crews completed building portions of fireline and will continue work tonight in the Horse Canyon area. The fire did not make any significant movement on the west flank. The fire, still mostly in the San Rafael Wilderness, is challenging due to the steep and inaccessible terrain. Dense, extremely dry chapparal, long distance spotting and moderate to rapid rates of spread continue to challenge firefighting efforts. Extreme fire behavior has been observed since the fire began. The northeast portion of the fire area has not burned since 1922. The fire has not entered the Sisquoc River area. The La Brea Fire is now under unified command with the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE. There is significant fire suppression vehicle traffic and congestion on Highway 166. The public is urged to seek an alternate route and to use extra caution when traveling the highway. Current Situation:The fire is now estimated at 21,029 acres. Firefighters will work on the fireline throughout the night, focusing on Sierra Madre Ridge and the slop over in the upper reaches of Moon Canyon, above Cuyama Valley. Some crew... [ more ]
COMMENT 34080	2009-08-12 12:54 PM
It seems kind of obvious they will have to call out the big guns at some point, so who will have to pay for the DC-10's since the fire is on Federal Land. I wonder if the 747 will make its maiden voyage here.

48% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

See more articles like this

# # # #