Ojai Fire Watch: Day Fire update - 9/22
[UPDATE: 8:23pm] Day Fire Incident Website: As of 5 PM the Santa Ana winds had not developed over the Day Fire and fire fighters continued securing as much fireline as possible...Santa Ana winds are still forecast to build through the night and become very strong Saturday morning with gusts in the 60 mph range. Fire managers and partners are prepared for the heightened winds and will closely coordinate over the next two days as the wind event continues. More details at Inciweb 9/22 Evening Update...
Day Fire Incident Website: the fire is up to 111,588 acres with 35 percent containment. 2621 personnel are on the job with more engines, dozers and other support coming. Full September 22 report after the jump...
National Weather Service: Potentially strong Santa Ana winds beginning at 6pm, continuing through Saturday morning. Another gust will arrive Saturday night through Sunday morning. More details at Accuweather...
[Update: 9/23, 1:30am] Fire Weather Warning: Ojai Weather Center
A Wind Advisory remains in effect from 5 am to 3 PM PDT Saturday. Areas of northeast winds 15 to 20 mph will develop after midnight tonight...and increase to 25 to 35 mph with local gusts to 50 mph by Saturday morning. Winds will be strongest below passes and canyons...peaking between 5 am and noon on Saturday.
The Ventura County Watershed Protection District Storm Watch Map (also listed on the Resource Page under maps) shows wind at 0-6 MPH throughout the Los Padres and Sespe areas as of midnight, Saturday AM.
Vacuum: No mention of the Day Fire, no resource links, nothing from: Elton Gallegly, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Audra Strickland, County of Ventura, City of Ojai.
From ABC News: Red Tape Fuels Raging Wildfire
Bureaucratic red tape is preventing two planes modified for aerial firefighting from combating the wildfires raging today in California. A DC-10 and a Boeing-747 "Supertanker," specially equipped with firefighting technology, have been waiting for days for the U.S. Forest Service and FAA to approve them to fight the rapidly spreading wildfires that have already consumed 84,035 acres... Local residents are furious about the idle equipment that could potentially save their homes.
[Update: 8:32pm] Web Traffic: The Ojai Post has been visited by 2,858 visitors, with 3,875 page views so far today. Thank you to the Ojai community for passing the word around and contributing in the comments and via email. Additional updates and questions should be directed to: tyler -at- ojaipost dot com.
[Update: 9/23, 1:12am] News Story posted at the LA Daily News 54 minutes ago: Most wildlife believed to have fled Day Fire
The Day Fire, which has burned more than 110,000 acres in 18 days, has burned into animal habitats. With the fight against the flames ongoing, biologists have only limited access to those areas to see how the animals are doing. But the animals probably avoided the fire, biologists say..."By and large, most of the (animal) populations ... these are cycles they've been going through for thousands of years - fire and flood," said Maeton Freel, biologist with the Los Padres National Forest. "And so they're fairly well adapted to the fire cycles."
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Day Fire Information September 22 Update
Los Padres/Angeles National Forests
For more Information: Phone: (805) 961-5770 or 388-4276
Moderate growth continued yesterday on the 111,588 acre Day Fire, and fire fighters were helped by a cool and fairly calm day. The fire is now 35 percent contained and good progress was made to construct fire line west of Mutau Flat. Burnout operations on the north flank in the Black Mountain and Alamo Mountain area are going well. This technique starts with igniting small fires on ridge tops and then letting the fire slowly descend to Piru Creek where fire crews can more easily stop the low intensity flames. The purpose of this attack is to eliminate fuel under a controlled condition. Containing as much of the fire as possible is being emphasized with the helpful weather, and to prepare for the predicted Santa Ana event late Friday, which has generated a Red Flag Warning.
As of this morning, the fire is still approximately 7 air miles north of Fillmore, 9 miles north of Santa Paula, 7 miles south of Lockwood Valley, 12 miles south of Frazier Park, and 10 miles northeast of Ojai. Two Type 1 Teams are now managing the fire, one for the east and north side; and the other for the remaining flanks. With approximately 60 miles of line remaining to be built within a 91 mile perimeter, and managing over 2000 personnel, 24 helicopters, and abundant equipment it was a challenging task with just one management team.
Dozers have completed contingency lines in the Frazier Peak/Lockwood Valley area, and are making good progress along Nordoff Ridge from Rose Valley toward Sisar Canyon. Hand crews have made excellent progress on the south flank and to the west of Mutau Flats. A “Precautionary” Evacuation was issued by Ventura County Sheriff after the fire became active in the Hines Peak area near Last Chance Campground. Air operations helped cool it, but it actively burned into the early evening.
For updated fire information, road and area closures contact Ventura County Fire Protection District Headquarters at 805-388-4276; and the Los Padres National Forest at 805-961-5770.
Statistics:
Acres – 111,588
Containment – 35 percent
Personnel – 2621
Smoke - Smoke will be very visible from Lockwood Valley starting near noon due to the continuation of the burnout operation. Plans call for it to continue east, parallel to Piru Creek, to about Mutau Creek, when operations will cease.
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Comments (2)
There are now (Sat 9/23 1:17 am Ojai time) two links on the county of Ventura website to the sheriff's dept and the fire dept websites specifically identified for updates on the Day fire.
Comment #1 Posted by: Kira Jones | September 23, 2006 01:17 AM
updated, thank you Kira.
Comment #2 Posted by: Tyler | September 23, 2006 01:31 AM