Ojai Fire Watch: Last Scheduled Update
From the Forest Service, this is the last regularly scheduled update on the Day Fire. Additional information will be provided periodically regarding progress toward full control of the fire, as well as the work of the BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) team. After the jump, read the report and learn more about what the BAER team does, "with the goal of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems from further damage after the fire is out."
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Work on the Day Fire continues as crews focus their efforts on “mop up” of remaining hot spots in the fire interior. As conditions permit, crews will expose and extinguish any hot material within 300 to 500 feet of the containment line. This work will continue until all remaining hot spots that could potentially jump the lines have been extinguished and the fire is declared “controlled.”
In the days ahead, firefighters also will be rehabilitating constructed fire lines to help minimize erosion, and collecting and hauling out fire hose, pumps, portable tanks and other equipment that is no longer needed. On the fire’s north and east side alone, crews yesterday hauled out 11 miles of fire hose; they still have 29 miles of hose to remove. As of this morning, about 1,500 personnel remain assigned to the fire. Ground forces are being supported by 3 fixed wing aircraft, 13 helicopters, 21 engines, 13 dozers and 15 water tenders.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is conducting an assessment of the burned area to determine what immediate treatments, if any, are needed to help stabilize and protect key areas. (See attached information regarding BAER.)
The Hungry Valley State Vehicle Recreation Area will reopen on Tuesday, October 5th. The portion of Angeles National Forest west of Interstate 5, and a large area of Los Padres National Forest in Ventura, Kern and southern Santa Barbara counties remains closed due to continued fire danger, presence of emergency equipment and hazards on trails. The closure prohibits public entry to forest lands, trails, roads and recreation sites. Forest managers hope to reduce the size of the closure by this weekend. Campfires and charcoal barbecue fires are prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest except within facilities managed by concessionaires.
Management of the remaining work on the 254-square-mile Day Fire is being consolidated under a single incident management team (California Interagency Incident Management Team #1) at the Incident Command Post (ICP) at Castaic Lake. Public information officers from the team will be available to continue to serve the needs of affected communities and news media at the ICP.
This will be our last regularly scheduled update on the Day Fire. Additional information will be provided periodically regarding progress toward full control of the fire, as well as the work of the BAER team. Information also is available on the Internet at www.inciweb.org or www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres/conditions/ , or by calling the Los Padres National Forest at (805) 961-5770.
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Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) on the Day Fire
October 3, 2006
While many wildfires cause little damage to the land and pose few threats to fish, wildlife and property downstream, some fires create situations that require special efforts to prevent further problems after the fire. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; runoff may increase and cause flooding, sediments may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs, and put endangered species and other resources at risk.
The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program addresses these situations with the goal of protecting life, property, water quality, and deteriorated ecosystems from further damage after the fire is out.
A BAER Team has been established for the Day Fire. The team will evaluate the burned area, recommend what immediate treatments, if any, are needed to help stabilize soil; control sediment, debris movement and water flow; prevent impairment of ecosystems; and mitigate significant threats to health, safety, life, property and downstream values at risk.
BAER Team members include specialists in hydrology, soil science, engineering, biology, geology, archeology, recreation facilities and other disciplines.
BAER does not seek to replace what is damaged by the fire, but to reduce further damage due to the land being temporary exposed in a fragile condition.
The Forest Service BAER Team coordinates and shares information with other Federal and local agencies, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and county watershed protection districts. BAER assessments are conducted only on national forest system lands.
The BAER Team is beginning its assessment on the Ojai Ranger District and hopes to complete it by the end of this week. They will then start the assessment on the Mount Pinos Ranger District and hope to have that assessment completed by mid October. A BAER assessment for the portion of the fire that burned on the Angeles National Forest is in the final stages of completion.
For further information on Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response for the Los Padres National Forest, call (805) 961-5770.
For further information on Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response for the Angeles National Forest, call Sherry Rollman at (626) 574-5205.
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