La Brea Wildfire Part 5

Crews on the La Brea Fire were very successful in holding the line on the Treplett fuel break and south along the upper portion of the Sierra Madre Ridge. Crews will continue construction of contingency lines west of the fire. Direct line is being constructed on the eastern side of the fire where it has reached flat terrain. The fire continued burning south approximately one mile down Horse Canyon but has not entered the Sisquoc River area. Winds throughout the day were 8-12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph out of the northeast.

Firefighting conditions remain difficult due to the steep and inaccessible terrain, dry dense chaparral, low relative humidity, and erratic winds. Extreme fire behavior has been observed since the fire began. The northeast portion of the fire area has not burned since 1922. Due to emergency 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.

There will be another community meeting on Friday, August 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Foxen Elementary School, 4949 Foxen Canyon Road, in Sisquoc.

The fire is now estimated at 36,480 acres. Tonight, firefighters will hold and mop up along Sierra Madre Ridge and engines will be providing structure protection along Foothill Road and the Cottonwood area. Direct fire line will be constructed along Horse Canyon. Three helibases still support the fire, one at Santa Ynez Airport, one at Santa Maria Airport, and a supply helibase at the Incident Command Post. A retardant base is located at Spanish Ranch in Cuyama Valley.

Expect warm and dry conditions to continue. Humidity will drop onto the teens and low 20's with the lowest humidity near the ridge tops. Gusty Northwest to east winds will continue at the ridge tops through the morning then are expected to switch to a more northwesterly direction in the afternoon. Cooler temperatures are expected this weekend as a storm system moves into the Pacific Northwest. The outlook for tonight is mostly clear with temperature in the low 54 - 60 range at the lower elevations and 62 - 72 with ridge top winds.

An evacuation order is still in effect for the 14 threatened residences on Foothill Road and the 7 residences on the Buckhorne Ridge. An evacuation warning was issued via reverse 911 to the 104 residences in Cottonwood Canyon.

If you need assistance with the evacuation and sheltering of animals, please contact the animal hot line at 681-4332.

The Fire Investigation Team is asking for the publics assistance to help establish the cause of the La Brea Fire. If you have any information regarding the La Brea please contact Forest Service Fire Investigators at 805-686-5074. Investigators have spoken to witnesses, but are still seeking additional information that may assist with the ongoing investigation.

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

Temporary flight restrictions have been put in place over the fire area

Engines: 89 Crews: 57 Dozers: 28 Helicopters: 10 Total personnel: 1,641

Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Saturday August 08th, 2009 approx 02:50 PM
Location 26 Miles east of Santa Maria
Incident Commander Pincha - Tulley / Lewin
Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,641
Size 36,480 acres
Percent Contained 10%
Fuels Involved

Primarily Chaparral with with areas of grass and timber.
Fire Behavior

The fire in the New Cuyama Valley and along the Treplett Mountain Fuel Break continues to exhibit a rapid rate of spread in the light flashy fuels.
Significant Events

Crews continue to hold the line on the Treplett fuel break and south along the upper portion of the Sierra Madre Ridge. Resources are continuing construction of line west of the fire. Construction of contingency lines west of the fire are underway. Direct line is being constructed on the eastern side of the fire where it has reached the flat area of the canyon. An evacuation order is still in effect for the 14 threatened residences on Foothill Road and the 7 residences on the Buckhorn Ridge. An evacuation warning was issued via reverse 911 to the 104 residences in Cottonwood Canyon. Forest Service closure order no. 09-13-5100-10 is in effect for areas in and around the fire.
Outlook

Planned Actions

Crews will continue to hold and mop up along the northest portion of the Treplett fuel break and south along the upper portion of the Sierra Madre Ridge. Structure protection was implemented along Foothill Road in Cottonwood Canyon. Fire continued to burn south approximately one mile down Horse Canyon towards the Sisquoc River.
Growth Potential

Extreme
Terrain Difficulty

Extreme
Remarks

An evacuation order is still in effect for the 14 threatened residences on Foothill Road and the 7 residences on the Buckhorne Ridge. An evacuation warning was issued via reverse 911 to the 104 residences in Cottonwood Canyon. The La Brea Fire is being managed under unified command with CAL FIRE and California Inter-Agency Management Team 3.