Sunday, September 28, 2008

Chalk Peak Fire near Pacific Valley, Big Sur...


Sunday, September 28, 2008 about 8:30am ...

Big Sur Kate, who lives and blogs from Pacific Valley, is reporting a new fire, just about out her back door.

It seems to have begun around 9 pm last night and it was estimated to be about 25 acres at the time. 

As of this morning, evacuations have been ordered in the Pacific Valley area, near the fire. The extent of the evacuation area is not yet clear. 

According to Kate and other sources, USFS wildland fire vehicles are on site and aircraft can be heard nearby.

The Modis map (click to expand the image), above, is from this morning and it shows a number of hot spots. The ones to the left are - presumably - near the origin of the fire, while those to the right are about two miles east.

There is no incident yet declared on Inciweb, but stay tuned to Kate's Blog for on-ground information, as long as she can do so safely.

Here's a recent post from Kate's blog:
9:30 am - initial attack reports LP hots spotted headed this way early this am. Also reports: “BEU sent 1 engine strike team, 2 single increment engines, 3 crews from Gabilan Camp, 1 chief officer, 2 air tankers, C-406. Good header showing from King City with drift smoke going to the north. Mid 90’s expected today. Fire is on the south side of Naciemento Ferguson Rd. off the South Coast Ridge Rd, both sides of the South Coast Ridge Rd. have fire on it. Last update I heard was 20-30 acres. Smoke column looks like it might be a little larger than that.”
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Sunday, September 28, 2008 about 10:15am ...

This just in from BSVFD Chief Frank Pinney (through a 3rd party source):
FYI, we are standing by at this time on the South Coast with structures threatened by a 200-300 acre active fire near Pruitt Ridge, just about to South Coast Ridge Road. USFS has crews on it since about 9PM last night and incoming resources this morning.

Frank
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Sunday, September 28, 2008 about 2:15pm ...

Big Sur Kate is the go-to woman on this fire... her blog has in-yer-face photos - literally! - since the fire is providing a show for people watching it from her place (she's even done up some popcorn!).

InciWeb has the fire up, at last. Listed as the "Chalk Wildland Fire" just click and you'll go there, if it's not "that time of the month" for InciWeb!

From Kate's latest on her blog:

And this just in from the (U.S. Forest Service) PIO: 
“The Chalk Fire is now on Inciweb. Info from the field is sketchy at this point, but should improved later this afternoon/early evening when the arrival of the Type 2 Incident Management Team and additional PIO’s. We have a field PIO (Rich Phelps) in the area right now, however cell phone coverage is poor. We have only two phone lines open in the Goleta Information Center so would prefer everyone check inciweb.org. As we receive new confirmed information we will post it on Inciweb….

Kathy Good
Public Affairs Officer
2:00 pm - just spoke w/ Kathy Good. Jim Smith and his Type II IC team is on the way, and additional information should be available once the situation is evaluated.

2:30 pm - Roberta, of the USFS is asking all children to leave the area, according to Alicia. Keith Harlan reports what sounds like an evacuation “warning” (preparation, only) for Lucia and the Hermitage.

Here's what InciWeb's got at the moment:


INCIDENT UPDATED 33 MIN. AGO

Summary

The Chalk Fire started at approximately 7:30 p.m last evening and has now burned 500-600 acres. The fire is located just to the north of Chalk Peak, approximately 22 miles south west of King City, in the Monterey County section of Los Padre National Forest. The fire is burning in oak and brush west of Chalk Peak and South Coast Ridge Road and is on both sides of South Coast ridge Road. By 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, the fire had crossed Nacimiento Ferguson Road and is currently burning on both sides of the road. The fire is currently very visible, as it is generating a large column of smoke.

Cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

Evacuations: As a precautionary measure, 3 national forest campgrounds southwest of the fire have been advised to evacute. Other rural residences and private inholdings may need to be evacuated.

Resources either on scene or ordered: 7 helicopters, 8 air tankers, 1 lead plane, 1 air attack aircraft and 10 engines.

And this just in from Chief Skee Stanley of Cachagua Fire:
At Noon today Cachagua Dozers 7755, 7756 and 7757 are enroute to the Incident. D-7758 will be enroute on Monday morning.

Skee


And here's the fire map!!


10 comments:

pendoodles said...

This is mind blowing. You all stay safe, especially Kate and her neighbors!!!

Kelly Erin O'Brien said...

Thanks, Doodles!

Kate says she's OK and popping some popcorn for neighbors who come by to watch the fire...

But, we have our eye on it... it's headed toward Ft. Hunter Liggett at the moment, and has grown from 25 acres to 300 overnight. This afternoon, when the winds usually come up, may prove interesting, unless the fire is under control by then.

Assets arriving as we speak.

best,

Kelly

pendoodles said...

Kelly maybe i'm just paranoid, but if Kate can see the flames that well, even if they are blowing in the other direction... the wind direction changes at night. I went to InciWeb to read. I sure hope they keep it updated regulary this time. Has GeoMac started showing the infared photos yet? Their site seems down to me at the moment.

I had thought when we hit the end of September, we were basically getting out of the fire season. I was lured into complacency I guess by the foggy cool weather we are getting up here.

Please keep an eye on Kate & her babies/pets for us.

Dirk said...

Just an FYI - regarding you comment "InciWeb has the fire up, at last", InciWeb doesn't do anything. The incident PIO/PAOs add the content to InciWeb. If the content is not there, look to the team on the ground, or the hosting unit, for the answer, not InciWeb.

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