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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Cascade Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Oct 27, 2017 - 08:34pm PT
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http://www.ksbw.com/article/bear-fire-another-wildfire-sparked-by-boulder-creek-resident/13080255
BOULDER CREEK, Calif. —
The Bear Fire in the Santa Cruz mountains was 100 percent contained Thursday.
Nearly 400 acres of dense forests burned after the wildfire sparked at a Boulder Creek home on Oct. 16. At least two homes were destroyed, and seven firefighters were injured.
One of the homeowners who's house was burned to the ground said her cat is still missing.
Previous story below:
Bear Fire: Another wildfire sparked by Boulder Creek resident
A new wildfire in the Boulder Creek Bear Fire zone sparked below the Las Cumbres community because a resident dumped hot ashes from their fireplace, Cal Fire said.
The quickly-doused fire was caused by a Mountain Lion Road resident who improperly dumped hot ashes outdoors Sunday night.
A 911 caller alerted CalFire about the 4-foot by 4-foot wildfire at 9:25 p.m. A fire engine was unable to access the extremely remote, rugged area at the bottom of Mountain Lion Road, so firefighters pumped water from a nearby creek. It was contained by midnight.
The Las Cumbres community had been previously evacuated because of the Bear Fire, but all mandatory evacuation orders were lifted over the past few days.
Cal Fire spokeswoman Angela Bernheisel described Sunday's incident as a
"careless" decision by the resident, and a "wakeup call" for everyone.
"It rained, and people think it's OK to dump out hot ashes. That's not something you should be doing," Bernheisel said.
"Our message is be vigilant, be careful, and realize that everything is just so dry out there," Bernheisel said.
At the height of the Bear Fire, nearly 1,000 firefighters were working the blaze and seven were injured.
It was immediately clear that the main Bear Fire was sparked on the property of 820 Bear Creek Canyon Road. Cal Fire said flames spread from a house into surrounding dry vegetation on the night of Oct. 16.
But what caused the house fire? Investigators are zeroing-in on the cause, and they have not ruled out the possibility of arson.
Four structures have been destroyed, including one at 820 Bear Creek Canyon Road.
The 60-acre property is a former vehicle "chop shop" that was raided in 2015.
Several vehicles and heavy equipment --including a bulldozer -- were destroyed by the Bear Fire last week, but it's unclear if the "chop shop" was still being operated.
Deputies are focused on one vehicle that burned, and they hauled it away as evidence.
The property is owned by Linda Sochaki and her nephew, Jeremy Lincoln.
Sochaki lives outside Santa Cruz County, and said she has not set foot on her property in two years.
"You're going to have to talk to my nephew about that. I have never been up there in a couple of years, so, I don't have any information," she told
Investigators with Cal Fire and the Sheriff's Office continue to gather evidence in what may become an arson case.
"We're not quite ready to announce anything yet. There are some great leads we're following up on. I do think we'll resolve this thing in the next few days," Sheriff Jim Hart said Friday.
The county received a complain about the property earlier this year, however, "It's really up to the property owner to clean it up" county spokesman Jason Hoppin said.
Tough terrain and drought-stricken trees made battling the Bear Fire challenging.
Six people have been arrested since the Bear Fire began.
A looter stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from an evacuated home on Hidden Springs Road. Marlon Coy, 54, of Boulder Creek, was in possession of the stolen property when deputies found him in Santa Cruz, Sgt. Chris Clark said.
"Quite frankly it’s disgusting to think that someone would continue to victimize people whom have been displaced from their houses,” Clark told SF GATE.
Five more people were arrested because of a tense situation at a marijuana grow in the Bear Fire zone. They were identified as Jason Dixon, Nicole Papineau, Bernard Haagenson, Michael Carter, and Drake Geithner.
Deputies said Haagenson, Carter and Geithner confronted two people, Dixon and Papineau, when the duo arrived in a vehicle at the marijuana grow on the 100 block of Hartman Creek Road.
Papineau, 24, and Dixon, 52, said they were searching for a lost dog, but the marijuana growers did not believe them, and suspected that they were thieves.
"Haagenson pointed (a) shotgun at Dixon and Papineau. During the confrontation Haagenson was suspected of shooting both front tires of Dixon and Papineau’s vehicle, the front bumper and the hood of the vehicle which caused the shotgun blast to skip off the hood onto the windshield in front of Papineau," deputies said.
Carter threatened the duo with a baseball bat, deputies said.
Dixon and Papineau fled the area on foot and found a CalFire crews. Deputies were summoned, and after questioning, all five people were arrested.
Haagenson, 55, was arrested for assault with a firearm, conspiracy, and brandishing a firearm; Carter, 52, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, and brandishing; Geithner, 28, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy; and Dixon and Papineau were arrested for entering a closed disaster area.
Deputies never found the operator of two drones who caused Cal Fire to ground its air attack for an hour during a critical time fighting the wildfire. If identified, the drone operator could face felony criminal charges.
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Footie
Trad climber
Sonoma, CA
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Nov 15, 2017 - 11:10am PT
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OK, I have finally had time to finish the wild land fire preparation lists that I started when we were evacuated from the Sonoma/Napa fires back in October. I promised then to share them here for those who may find it useful. It's mainly applicable to our property, but I've added language that may be helpful to others with homes in fire prone wild land areas. Again, the reason I have done this is that, although I've been expecting this fire for 50 years, I can't believe how unprepared I was when it actually hit in the middle of the night. Another important point is that it did not actually hit that first night, it came to our house a couple of nights later and then stuck around for a week. Although I managed to find ways to get back in, most people were under mandatory evacuation for two weeks which makes these lists even more important.
Urban/Wildland Interface Fire Preparation Lists
Based on Field Lovall Valley Sonoma property & 10/17 experience
I. Emergency evacuation kit and checklist
A. Have a kit with overnight or a week’s basics by the door. (Basically think through what you'd need to live in your car or as a guest for a day, a week or more. Think through the possibility that your area’s stores may get closed or run out of stuff and the roads in & out of your community may get closed)
1. charged headlamp, glasses, running shoes, spare keys, all immediately accessible (hopefully you already keep your keys, cell phone, wallet/purse accessible)
2. extra meds & health essentials
3. bath & toiletries (including packaged wet-wipes)
4. changes of underwear
5. change of clothes (you might be leaving in your pajamas or bath robe)
6. a jacket or something warm (you might be sleeping in it)
7. the checklist (below)
B. The checklist (In case you have a few minutes to grab more stuff before you flee. Print a copy in large print, put it with your evacuation kit. Kids, pets and/or farm animals are not included here because we don’t have any, but you may want to add stuff to this list)
1. Cell phone,
2. wallet / purse,
3. glasses
4. headlamp / flashlight
4. lap top / computer’s back-up remote drive
6. essential papers (pre packaged- see below)
7. close all doors & windows (unlocked for firefighter’s access)
8. shut off propane tank(s) and move propane BBQ away from house
9. shut off, lights, air conditioning, and water faucets (not main!)
10. chain saw, sharp, gassed & oiled (because we live up a heavily wooded road)
11. gun and ammo (I’m not a gun nut, but won’t leave ammo in burning house)
II. Prepare your house & property (this is divided into Short and Long Term and it is focused on our property. Basically you should walk zig-zag across your property and imagine you are fire and adjust these lists accordingly. You may need to also have discussions with your neighbors as what happens on their property can directly affect yours. If they’re not cooperative, show them pictures from the Santa Rosa/Sonoma fires!)
A. Short Term (each summer)
1. Safely mow, pull, or weed eat all weeds, trim trees, shrubs, ivy, leaves, etc. away from house AND outdoor structures, wood piles, RV’s and equipment, even telephone poles & fence posts (down to bare earth in some places based on item’s flammability. I was amazed by what caught fire just from dry leaves.)
2. Trim and rake flammable material away from propane tank, plastic stand pipes or other exposed plastic pipe that is part of your water delivery system
3. Clean leaves from roof & gutters
4. Move all gas, oil, and other flammable stuff a safe distance away from house to a shed or cabinet thats expendable and out of the way. (This can include gas powered equipment.)
5. Have hoses ready to wet down flammables in case you have time or for firefighters to use
6. Think about where you would move flammable or valuable garden furniture, equipment, etc. in case you have time when fire is approaching (in the garage? house? pool?)—all this stuff burned in our fire
7. If you have more than one vehicle, know which one(s) you are going to take
8. Know what you are or are not going to do with or for your neighbors and/discuss/rehearse with them (share these lists with them?)
9. Know your evacuation routes and practice using them
10. Have a second trip back-up list in case you get to return for items of secondary importance (mine includes art work, my ski & climbing gear which I keep organized and ready to go, picture albums, other transportable family keep sakes, etc.—if they let you back after initial evacuation, it may be for limited time)
11. Have a secondary fire prep list for things to do if you have time. It can include items listed above if you didn’t get them done prior, but also remove flammable window coverings, flammable objects from window sills, flammable furniture away from windows, close metal shades, have ladders safely placed up to your roof, …
12. Any brief special information for firefighters who will likely come into your house when you’re gone. I also tacked up signs outside for location of water tank, generator, etc. which the firefighters later thanked me for.
B. Long Term
1. Essential papers ready to carry out with you or in a fireproof safe (your freezer may actually work) or bank safe deposit box (deeds, passports, birth certificates, video and/or pictures of house & all valuable possessions, electronic copies of all receipts, important banking & legal doc.s, Retirement Plan or Social Security doc.s, Wills, Trusts, Durable Power of Attorney, etc.)
2. Landscaping is wonderful, but you may want to rethink it from a fire proof perspective. Some green stuff burns (ivy, oleanders, etc.). Get it away from the house, propane tank, and other valuable stuff. Clear under brush, at least 100 feet away. It took 40 years, but we’ve done our entire 10 acres and it has now paid off. Our forest is saved. We have not removed all trees within the 100 foot defensible space, but we have thinned our forest, cut limbs that were within a few feet of the house (insurance wants 10 feet), and removed dead wood. Important note on dead wood: this was an Achille’s heal in the Oct ’17 fire, there is dead wood in the roots, stumps & trunks of otherwise mature green trees in our forest. These dead parts caught fire from leaves and grasses then soldered for days after the fire came through. This weakened the trees and many fell or will fall soon. How to protect from this? Perhaps apply a fire retardant each year beforehand?
3. House vents & openings. There are special vents recommended by fire agencies and required by some insurance companies, but this is an expensive replacement project. We have added a fine screen mesh over or behind all of ours. With our annual weed-eating, leaf raking, and outdoor sprinkler system we think we are protected from the wind-driven fine spray of sparks that would otherwise get into our attic and basement-crawl space.
4. Outdoor sprinkler system. I installed an outdoor sprinkler system using one and a quarter inch PVC, connected to the water main with one simple lever ball valve. When on, it operates Rainbird sprinklers that water the entire exterior of my house. It's waters are directed up under the eaves as well as our deck and siding plus 30 feet out around the house. (We have a concrete tile roof.) It is connected to a 5000 gallon tank that we keep full by float valves operating the well pump. I have a large propane powered generator and transfer switch so it automatically keeps the pressure pump and well pump running when the electrical power is shut off. The propane tank is also sprinklered. (I test it during the hottest summer days when it also serves as a large evaporative cooler!) The tricky part about using this is that you have to wait until the fire is actually approaching the property before you turn it on. You don't want to drain your tank before the fire actually gets to the house. This means you might need to stay at the house longer than you or the fire department wants you to. Good news is that I got to stay until the final hour during this October’s fire and it paid off; helped save our house. Bad news is that the fire crews thought it was so cool that they left the house otherwise unprotected right after I did! (Given our oneway out, long forested roads, the winds and intensity of the fire, they probably would have left anyway.)
5. Signage. Be sure your house numbers are adequately shown, but also build signs for things like a water tank, generator, sprinkler system(s), etc. If your property or neighborhood is tricky, good handout maps could also be useful. Fire crews that came to our house were from out of the area, often arriving in the dark, and sleep deprived.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, mouse... ooops, i just saw too late, that someone
DID GET IT in here...
it belongs here, too...
good job...
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Can anyone provide a link to an updated fire boundary map for the Thomas fire in Ventura? Want to share with a friend whose folks are in Ojai and are evacuated. I can't get anything on Calfire - too many people are on the site I think plus I don't know if they have anything detailed.
Thanks in advance.
It was snowing ash this morning in Santa Monica...we started getting it bad (you can't breathe outside) yesterday morning from Sylmar and this morning from both Sylmar and this new fire in the Sepulveda Pass ("Skirball"). I feel so terrible for the folks in Ventura and Sylmar, they're getting the worst of it. A relative's home burned down in Sylmar...
I hope that any of you in these areas are safe!
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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The current CalFire incident info for Thomas Fire
Thomas Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated: December 06, 2017 11:46 am
Date/Time Started: December 04, 2017 6:28 pm
Administrative Unit: Unified Command: CAL FIRE, Ventura County Fire, City of Ventura, Los Padres National Forest, Ventura County Sheriff,
County: Ventura County
Location: Hwy 150 and Hwy 126, north of Santa Paula
Acres Burned - Containment: 65,000 acres
Structures Threatened: 12,000 structures threatened
Structures Destroyed: 150 structures
Evacuations: Evacuation Map
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS:
• City of Santa Paula - Boundary of Say Road north to Thomas Aquinas, Dickenson Ranch Road east to Santa Paula Creek
• City of Santa Paula - Boundary of Monte Vista Street north to city limits, Foothill Road from Steckel to Peck Road to north of city limits
• Santa Paula unincorporated area towards Ventura- North of Foothill Road from Peck Road to Wells Road including: Wheeler Canyon, Aliso Canyon and Rancho Vista
• City of Ventura - Teloma east to Brent Street, Telegraph Road north to north of Foothill Road
• City of Ventura - Victoria Road east to Hill Road, Telegraph Road north to Foothill Road
• City of Ventura - North Ashwood Avenue east to Hill Road, Telegraph Road north to Foothill Road
• City of Ventura - North of Foothill Road from Wells Road to Poli Street
• City of Ventura - North of Main Street from Seward Avenue to Hwy 33 (includes entire Ventura Avenue area)
• Oak View - Boundary of Hwy 33, Creek Road and Hermosa Road
• Entire Community of Casitas Springs - Evacuate to Ventura County Fairgrounds - 10 West Harbor Blvd., Ventura
• East Ojai Valley - Carne Road east to McAndrew Road, Reeves Road north to Thacher Road
• Upper Ojai Valley - Hwy 150 from Dennison Grade east to Osborne Road and all residences north
• Ventura County North Coast Area - Boundary of Hwy 33 on the north to Casitas Vista Road, northwest to Hwy 150, Hwy 150 (Casitas Pass Road) west to US 101 and south on US 101 (including Pacific Coast Highway) to Emma Wood State Beach
VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS:
• Residents in the City of Ventura, south of Loma Vista, east of Day Road, West of Victoria Avenue and north of Telegraph Road
• Residents in the City of Ventura, east of Victoria north of Loma Vista South of Foothill west of Wells Road
• All residents of the Ojai Valley not currently covered under the current mandatory evacuation
• City of Fillmore - Boundary of 2nd Street north to 4th Street & Island View Street east to Pole Creek
• City of Fillmore - Boundary of 4th Street on the south to Pole Canyon Road, Pole Canyon Road northeast to Goodenough Road, Goodenough Road south to 5th Street and 5th Street southeast to 4th Street
• City of Fillmore - Boundary of Hwy 23 & the Santa Clara River south to Guiberson Road, Guiberson Road east to Torrey Road and Torrey Road north to the Santa Clara River
EVACUATION SHELTERS: City of Ventura - Ventura County Fairgrounds at Miners Building (Red Cross - Includes an Animal Shelter for all types of animals) – 10 W Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001
City of Ojai - Nordhoff High School (Red Cross) -1401 Maricopa Hwy, Ojai, CA 93023
City of Oxnard - Oxnard College Gymnasium (Red Cross)- Open 12/5/17, 0700
City of Santa Paula - Santa Paula Community Center (City of SP run shelter) - Open 0800
City of Fillmore - Veteran's Memorial Bldg (City of Fillmore run shelter), 511 2nd Street - Will be open 12/6/17, 0800 hrs
UC Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara Multi Activity Center, 552 University Road, Santa Barbara, CA
Road Closures: ROAD CLOSURES: Road closures continue to impact Highway 150 and Highway 33, as well as many other city and county roads.
Per California Highway Patrol:
Hard Closure- SR-150 at Reeves Road (east end Ojai Valley)
Hard Closure - SR-150 at Stonegate (Santa Paula)
Hard Closure - SR 150 at Telegraph Road (Santa Paula)
Hard Closure - SR 150 at Richmond Road (Santa Paula)
Hard Closure - Foothill Road at Olive/Cummings/Wells/Briggs (Santa Paula/Ventura area)
BREAKING UPDATES:
Ojai Area - Traffic is currently open for Hwy 150 (Casitas Pass Road) to US 101 (Carpenteria)
Casitas Springs area - Creek Road north of Hwy 33 closed.
Cooperating Agencies: CAL FIRE, Ventura County Fire, Ventura County Sheriff, City of Ventura Fire Department, City of Ventura Police Department, USFS/Los Padres National Forest, CAL OES, Red Cross, PG&E, CHP, Ventura County Public Works, CALTRANS, California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Total Fire Personnel: 1776
Total Fire Engines: 362
Total Fire Crews: 32
Total Helicopters: 12
Total Dozers: 19
Total Water Tenders: 4
Incident Management Team: CAL FIRE IMT-4
Long/Lat: -119.09124/34.41521
Conditions: The fire continues to burn actively with extreme rates of spread and long range spotting when pushed by winds. The fire is established on the north and east side of Hwy 150 and is also burning on the west side of Hwy 30. The fire has pushed northwest of Ventura and has reached the Hwy 101. Firefighters continue to work aggressively to protect life and property while working on control efforts around the fire perimeter.
SCHOOL CLOSURES: Fillmore Unified School District, Hueneme Elementary School District, Mesa Union Elementary School District, Moorpark Unified School District, Mupu Elementary School District, Ocean View School District, Ojai Unified School District, Oxnard Elementary School District, Oxnard Union High School District, Pleasant Valley School District, Rio Elementary School District, Saint Anthony's School, Santa Clara Elementary School District (Santa Paula), Santa Paula Unified School District, Simi Valley Unified School District, University Preparation Charter School, VCOE Career Education Center Sites, VCOE-Operated School Sites and Classrooms, Ventura Unified School District, Moorpark College, Oxnard College, Ventura College, Thomas Aquinas College
Phone Numbers (805) 465-6650 (Thomas Fire Information Line )
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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The current Thomas Fire map. It's likely a few hours out of date
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there, say, hightraverse...
very good to see that info share...
i will pass it on...
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crusher
climber
Santa Monica, CA
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Thanks HT. I found the text too, just not a good up to date map.
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John M
climber
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The Thomas fire is still going off. High winds predicted through Friday.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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[Click to View YouTube Video]
I found this a pretty compelling performance, maybe a little reminiscent of the song Talk to me of Mendocino. The writer/performer, Karen, lived in Humboldt county when I was there (billions and billions of years ago) and is a right honest human being. She lives outside Boston now.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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That was sweet, Darwin. Made me cryful. TFPU.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, darwin... yes, thanks...
made me cry too...
my place where i grew up... :(
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Thank you, DMT! Yes. This. The Yos Valley needs a big-ass burn, too. It would be sad, but, yeah, we gotta toughen up. Be careful where you buy/build. It's hard, of course, when the fire directly threatens and/or blackens a place you love. I only got into Domelands Wilderness once before it all burned down. Bummed. What a place. Joshua Tree on steroids with pines and ZERO people. Fire, of course, started by some jackass. So it goes.
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