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July 25, 2008 about 7:30 am
- Some more fire along the Div LL lines. Probably late backburning.
- Concentrated activity near China Camp.
- An isolated hotspot on the eastern slopes of Miller Mountain.
"According to the 7:00 update of InciWeb, backburning is not yet complete: “Mop up and patrol will continue in the areas of Paloma Creek and River Canyon. Burnout operations are progressing south of the Los Padres Dam to the southern portion of Miller Canyon. Contingency resources for the affected areas of Tanbark and Cachagua are in place. The Southern perimeter is being patrolled by air. In the northern portion of the Indians Fire crews will scout and determine needs for rehab.”
"I thought they finished the burnouts yesterday. Maybe they didn’t update today’s planned actions when they updated the rest of the site. Tonight’s MODIS data will tell the story. If the burnouts were completed last night, all we’ll see on the MODIS map is what’s left of the fire."
We are at 79% containment as of last update on InciWeb. According to InciWeb, the final piece of containment line was burned out in yesterday's activity, tying in the containment perimeter. And for today...
"Burning operations using aerial ignition will continue in the interior of the fire to remove the threat from unburned vegetation that could spot over the containment lines. These burnouts will be low intensity (see below regarding fire burn intensity) to help protect the watershed."
Also - BIG news! - with the successful progress on the fire, the Monterey County Sheriff will lift all Voluntary Evacuations and road closures at 6 pm this evening, July 25, 2008.
Back in a few hours with "Fridays in the Morning with Jeanne" - the daily update with IC Jeanne Pincha-Tulley.
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Whoa, that's INTENSE!
Fire intensity is a term used to describe the amount of heat a fire produces - it will be a hot, cool, or moderate fire
Most people have heard about the fire that burned out of control near Tok, Alaska, during the summer of 1990. There have been many other fires in Alaska that firefighters were not able to stop. These fires are often controlled only after a change in weather helps to cool the fire. What makes these fires burn so hot? Topography, ground slope, humidity, temperature, and the amount of fuel all work together to determine fire intensity.
Topography is important when discussing fire intensity. Slopes that face south, southwest, and west tend to be warmer and drier because they receive more sun. Fires on these slopes will burn more readily than fires on north-facing slopes. Fire will burn up a steep slope more rapidly than on level ground because the fire and heat move up more quickly and dry out the vegetation.
Moisture in the air and air temperature also affect how fuels burn. Fires that occur in the spring burn less intensely than fires during the dry summer months because of lower temperatures and increased moisture in the soil and air. While rain can cause fires to cool down and lessen in intensity wind can fan a fire and cause the intensity to increase.
A low intensity fire means that the fire is burning slowing and is not very hot. These usually occur in moist areas, in wetter months, low winds, and minimal fuels.
A moderate intensity fire is faster burning and very hot. They usually occur in dryer months and in moderately dry conditions. There are adequate fuels to continue the fire.
A high intensity fire is one that burns very fast and extremely hot. These usually occur in dry months with dry soils and a large amount of fuels. These fires are very hard to contain and ignite other areas quickly often traveling great distances.
The amount and condition of available fuels will also influence fire intensity. There are three basic types of fires: surface, ground, and canopy (crown) fires. Each burns differently depending on the kind of fuel present.
A surface fire burns fuels that are on the ground as well as shrubs and trees. Fuels small in size and very dry (e.g. branches, bark, broken and downed trees, dead shrubs, etc.) will cause a fast moving fire. Grass fires generally produce lower temperatures and burn quickly. A fire through brush such as alder or willow burns quickly with high temperatures because of the woody fuel. Some shrubs, such as Labrador tea, have an oily sap that is very flammable. If a fire burn fast, but without much intensity, the soil and trees are often not damaged. Surface fires can help keep surface fuels from building up and will stimulate herb and shrub regrowth.
A ground fire can occur when the duff layer becomes very dry. Duff is the organic layer of the soil consisting of decaying leaves and other plant parts, dead branches, and wood. It can be from a few inches to several feet thick. A ground fire can creep slowly through the duff, similar to the way charcoal burns. It not only burns the dead leaves and wood, but will also burn the roots of living trees and plants. Generally ground fires are of moderate intensity but, like the charcoal on a grill, can smolder and burn much longer than a surface fire.
A canopy (crown) fire burns the higher leaves and branches of trees and shrubs, moving from tree to tree through the treetops. The worst canopy fires occur in dense forests.
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