Morning MODIS, then off to the briefing...

(click to enlarge)

July 23, 2008 about 7:30 am...

Here's the morning's MODIS map and Jim's comments:

"InciWeb has stopped posting weather information. All in all, that is probably a good thing, since their data was often not credible. The low for last night was 50 degrees, but it was 60 for most of the night. The humidity got as high as 66%, but it was in the low 50s for most of the night. So last night did not provide the conditions to slow down the fire much, and today promises to be hotter and drier than yesterday. This will be good for setting backburns, but not so good for slowing down uncontrolled fire.

Because last night was warmer and drier than the last few evenings, and probably because the backburns continued into the evening, the MODIS map shows more than usual morning activity."

• There are three hotspots near the Div MM fireline, and four near the Div NN line. I hope these are backburns. There are many hotspots moving downslope westward from the juncture of the Div MM and NN lines all the way to the river and up the other side. InciWeb said that they would be initiating burns in this area, so I think probably they are mostly or entirely set fires.

• Activity continues in the Piney Creek region.

• One lone hotspot just west of the river on the Div GG line where there were so many backburns yesterday. Looks like the backburns are substantially complete there.

The morning briefing with the IC and last night's Carmel Valley Village meeting at Tularcitos School are now linked here and up on KUSP 

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The View from the Top...

Backburning along a dozer line on Chew's Ridge. 

(Both pics to the left were shot by Kari Greer, contract photographer for the Unified Command)

The Helitorch at work over Chews Ridge, taken from a spotter helicopter...