Ojai Fire Watch: Day Fire - 9/26 Tuesday Thread
[Update: 9:32pm] Forest Service / Inciweb.org (9:19pm report)
Firefighters are working to contain a 2,000 to 3,000-acre advance that occurred today when the fire crossed Lockwood Valley Road in the vicinity of the Grade Valley Road. Firefighters experienced extreme fire behavior in the Lockwood Valley with rapid rates of spread and 300-foot tall fire whorls. Read the entire report after the jump... [6:32pm] The Inciweb site appears to be down, or heavily saturated with traffic, and has been for hours. See the VCSD and VCFD reports following...
[Update: 6:34pm] Fire Department (4:13pm report)
A spot fire approximately 600 acres in size, has jumped Lockwood Valley Rd. on the north side in the area of Grade Valley Rd. Firefighters await the fire front on Lockwood Valley Road this afternoonWinds have turned and are now out of the west at 20 mph. Fire is moving towards the Frazier Park area. Fire personnel and air resources are on-scene and structure protection is in place. The Evacuation Center at Frazier Park has been moved to Frazier Mountain High School, 700 Falcon Way, in Lebec, (805) 339-2234. In the Ojai area, heavy smoke may be visible. This is due to fuel burning out within the fire and poses no threat to the perimeter of the fire.
[Update 6:36pm] Sheriff's Department (3:52pm report)
The following shelters have been closed:
Santa Paula Community Center, 530 West Main Street, Santa Paula
Sacred Heart Church, 10800 Henderson Road, Ventura
The Frazier Park evacuation center has been moved to Frazier Mountain High School, 700 Falcon Way, Frazier Park. Kern County residents may call Kern County Sheriff's Communications Center at 661-861-3110 or 800-861-3110. with questions. LOCKWOOD VALLEY ROAD IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING RESIDENTS
[Update: 3:14pm] National Weather Service / Ojai
Currently 82 degrees. Wind 3 mph from the S, with gusts to 7 mph, and a high of 11 mph at 12:41pm. 38% humidity. No active advisories. [ed.note: reader Robert asks if it rained last night - Weather Service says no]
[Update: 9:46pm] City of Ojai
I attended the City Council meeting this evening. I'll try to do a separate post because there was a lot of information. Fire Chief Bob Roper, Supervisor Steve Bennett and Captain Norris all spoke, and were impressive in their knowledge and command of the situation. Councilmember Rae Hanstad gave thanks to The Ojai Post, which was very kind. Other organizations were thanked for their contributions as well. I got up and spoke for a couple minutes, pointing out that while the City was self-congratulatory on their ability to communicate, I didn't see it. I requested that they state how they communicated and what information was disseminated as official City communication. I further stated that it took them 21 days to put three links up on their website. My position was that their communication, particularly in terms of the web and grassroots media could be MUCH improved. And I look forward to continuing the conversation.
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Day Fire Update
Los Padres and Angeles National Forests
September 26, 2006 – 9:00 p.m.
Firefighters are working to contain a 2,000 to 3,000-acre advance that occurred today when the fire crossed Lockwood Valley Road in the vicinity of the Grade Valley Road. Firefighters experienced extreme fire behavior in the Lockwood Valley with rapid rates of spread and 300-foot tall fire whorls. At 6:00 p.m., the fire was in the vicinity of Boy Scout Camp Road. A total of six non-residential structures were destroyed on Tuesday (a cabin, 2 barns, 2 camp trailers and a modular home). None of the affected structures were occupied and the evacuation was conducted in a safe and orderly manner. Dozens of homes were saved through the extraordinary efforts of firefighters. Hand-crews and engine crews received excellent support from airtankers and helicopters. An additional five fixed-wing aircraft and 100 additional fire engines have been ordered to provide additional support for structure protection in the affected communities.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has issued a recommended evacuation for the communities of Lockwood Valley, Pine Mountain Club, Pinon Pines, Cuddy Valley, Camp Sheideck and Lake of the Woods. A recommended evacuation is the highest level of notification and indicates that “it is time to go.” The community of Frazier Park has been placed under a precautionary evacuation which is indicates it is time to prepare to leave and is the first notice of the two-stage evacuation notification system. The American Red Cross has opened an Evacuation Center at Frazier Mountain High School in Lebec to accommodate displaced residents.
On the northwest portion of the fire, officials expect fire activity to diminish overnight but remain concerned about the continued potential for rapid spread due to extreme conditions again tomorrow. Lockwood Valley Road is closed from Highway 33 to Lake of the Woods to all but emergency fire traffic. Highway 33 is closed to public travel between Wheeler Gorge and Ozena, near Lockwood Valley.
On the southwest portion of the fire, officials are expecting fire activity to diminish overnight. Glows from the fire will be visible in adjacent areas due to interior burning. The fire remains active in upper Santa Paula Canyon and several spot fires were detected in the headwaters of Sisar Creek.
At 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, the fire has burned 144,884 acres and is at 42 percent containment with 59 miles of line remaining to build. A total of 3,801 personnel are assigned to the fire. Ground forces are being supported by 30 helicopters, 8 fixed-wing aircraft, 50 engines, 41 dozers, and 40 tenders.
Emergency Fire Closure and Fire Restrictions
The Forest Service has closed a large area of Los Padres National Forest in Ventura, Kern and southern Santa Barbara counties. The closure prohibits all public entry to forest lands, trails, roads and recreation sites. A map and description of the closure is available from Forest Service offices, and on the Internet at: www.inciweb.org. Campfires and charcoal barbecue fires are now prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest except within facilities managed by concessionaires.
For More Information
For updated fire information, contact the Ventura County Fire Protection District Headquarters at 805-388-4276 or the Los Padres National Forest Fire Information Center at 805-961-5770. For further information regarding the Day Fire visit www.inciweb.org or www.fire.countyofventura.org
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Comments (8)
Tyler, what did the City say when you asked them to link to Ojai Post?
Comment #1 Posted by: Lisa Snider | September 26, 2006 12:38 PM
Lisa - the person who is normally responsible for posting on the website is out of the office until October. Members of the City Council, and I assume many city employees, are well aware of our efforts, since it was announced at the Community Meeting on September 21. I have also received an email of appreciation from one of the City Council members. So when, after 21 days of the Day Fire, the City decided to post links to three resources, and then after 22 days, they added three more links, they were well aware of who was and was not providing important information to the community, and consciously made the decision to not include The Ojai Post.
Comment #2 Posted by: Tyler | September 26, 2006 02:24 PM
Tyler and all. A heartfelt "Thank You" from Wisconsin. I have family living in Ojai. Your coverage has been exceptional. What a task to take on for a community blog and what a terrific product! You're doing a great community service -- to a community that stretches across the country and beyond.
Comment #3 Posted by: Don Jones | September 26, 2006 02:50 PM
Thanks Don, much obliged.
Comment #4 Posted by: Tyler | September 26, 2006 03:08 PM
Hi Tyler,
I think you should explicitly ask the City to link to you.
I realize they should have thought of it themselves, but you have to realize the people who heard about your efforts at the Community meeting and/or who have read it on the web are probably NOT the same people who put the links on the city website. I think the city website is administered not by the elected officials but by paid staff who may or may not be very attentive.
If you ask and they still don't include you, and they can't provide an acceptable reason why they refuse, then you have every right to be ticked off and in fact I would encourage a campaign for the community to complain to them on your behalf!!
But until then, I would avoid assuming this was a conscious snub rather than mere bureaucratic oversight.
There may also be some kind of city policy that prohibits promotion of "for-profit" enterprises. (I assume the Ojai Post is for-profit?)
With respect to the Fire Watch itself - Great job!! Thanks so much, I've been checking your updates every couple of hours. It has definitely been the best, most reliable, most timely, and most complete source of information!!
Comment #5 Posted by: Staci | September 26, 2006 03:41 PM
Hi Staci -
Well, its after-the-fact now. Fire coverage will slowly diminish as the 3,508-person effort gains control.
The decision for the City of Ojai to finally put links up on Monday, day 21 of the fire, was made late last week. The decision to place those links, and what links were placed, were made at the highest levels. The City had plenty of top representatives, including multiple City Council members, who were at the Community Meeting and thus were made very well aware of our coverage. In fact, I have received some very positive feedback from Council members on a personal basis who found us to be their most valuable resource for information.
I provide the Ojai Post as a community service - its a non-profit in an unofficial sense. If at some point we decide to pursue revenue streams, I have committed 50% to Ojai charities.
Thanks for contributing!
Tyler
Comment #6 Posted by: Tyler | September 26, 2006 06:28 PM
Hi Tyler,
Wow, you're doing this without an established revenue stream? I'm even more grateful and amazed! Do you take donations? What address could they be sent to?
Thanks for the great public service!!
Staci
Comment #7 Posted by: Staci | September 26, 2006 10:29 PM
Staci -
I am happy to provide the service - its not a large sum of money to keep the site running.
I will have a very worthy project for you to directly donate to, hopefully tomorrow.
Comment #8 Posted by: Tyler | September 27, 2006 12:28 AM