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Day Fire Update
Los Padres and Angeles National Forests
October 1, 2006 – 9:00 a.m.

Today’s operations will continue to focus on mop up and improvement of fireline along the 163-mile long fire perimeter. Firefighters have six more miles of fireline to construct, all of it in heavy vegetation in steep rugged canyons of the Sespe Wilderness. Crews also will be hauling out fire hose and other equipment from the fire area and installing water bars where needed to help reduce erosion on firelines.

A total of 3,358 personnel remain assigned to the fire, but incident managers continue to release crews and equipment as fireline construction is completed and containment nears. An additional 1,200 firefighters will be released today. Crews will return home for a well-deserved rest or to other fire assignments.

A change in the weather pattern is good news for firefighters with higher relative humidity (ranging from 25 to 45%) and cooler daytime temperatures (highs ranging from 68 to 70 degrees in the valleys and 57 to 67 on ridges). Higher relative humidity moderates fire behavior because it makes it more difficult for smaller fuels such as grass and twigs to burn. However, fire danger remains high because larger fuels, such as logs and standing dead trees, remain very dry and take a long time to respond to moist conditions. Fire crews will watch for possible erratic, gusting winds associated with the passage of weather systems over the next several days,

All evacuation advisories have been lifted; all Red Cross shelters are closed. Lockwood Valley Road is currently open only to residents with proof of residency, but will reopen to general traffic at 6:00 a.m. on Monday. Highway 33 is closed between Wheeler Gorge and Ozena. Schools in the El Tejon Unified School District will reopen on Monday.

As of 6:00 a.m. today, the fire has burned 162,547 acres and is 87 percent contained. Containment is projected by Monday, Oct. 2 at 6:00 p.m. Suppression cost to date is $67,312,379.

Emergency Fire Closure and Fire Restrictions
A large area of Los Padres National Forest in Ventura, Kern and southern Santa Barbara counties remains closed to the public entry. The portion of Angeles National Forest west of Interstate 5 is closed. The closure prohibits all public entry to forest lands, trails, roads and recreation sites. 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 Los Padres National Forest Fire Information Center at 805-961-5770 or the Ventura County Fire Protection District Headquarters at 805-388-4276 or visit: www.inciweb.org www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres/conditions/ or www.fire.countyofventura.org.