June 23, 2008
Big Sur Fire; Gallery and Basin Fires Merge
The Gallery Fire burning in Big Sur is considered part of the Basin Complex. Fire management is slow to update so an acreage number is only a guess. However we see from GeoMAC (below) the Gallery Fire and Basin Fire have joined. Prevailing N/W winds may push the "Basin Complex" fires into the as yet contained 60,000 acre Indians Fire.
*UPDATE: ICS-209 filed 1800hrs.
The Logwood Fire has been consumed by the Gallery Fire. The Complex now has two fires. The Gallery fire is 5920 acres with 10% containment. The Basin fire is 1105 acres with 0% containment.
Possible 5 structures/outbuildings damaged in last 24hrs. Confirmation is an ongoing effort.
Size/Area Involved 7,015 ACRES, % Contained; 3 Percent.
Structures, heavy fuel loads due to sudden oak death, threat to community of Big Sur and Carmen watershed basin.
Here is what stands out as the largest issue on this incident. There are ONLY 380 fire personnel assigned to this fire. Personnel include 190 Forest Service and 65 Cal Fire professionals. Equipment is sparse with 18 fire engines, 4 water tenders and 5 bulldozers.
Seventy of the fire personnel are overhead so effectively there are 150 firefighters per shift on the 7,000 acre of fire line.
Under normal circumstances Cal Fire would have 1,500 people swarming this fire.
Three helicopters and seven fixed wing aircraft are assigned and it is safe to say any substantial movement to suppress these fires will come from the air and the dozers working with firing crews.
Bottom line, this one will need cooperative weather.
Map from GeoMAC Wildfire Mapping (click to enlarge)
This image was grabbed from Fremont Peak Cam in the east side of the Salinas Valley June 22, 2008.
.
*UPDATE: ICS-209 filed 1800hrs.
The Logwood Fire has been consumed by the Gallery Fire. The Complex now has two fires. The Gallery fire is 5920 acres with 10% containment. The Basin fire is 1105 acres with 0% containment.
Possible 5 structures/outbuildings damaged in last 24hrs. Confirmation is an ongoing effort.
Size/Area Involved 7,015 ACRES, % Contained; 3 Percent.
Structures, heavy fuel loads due to sudden oak death, threat to community of Big Sur and Carmen watershed basin.
Here is what stands out as the largest issue on this incident. There are ONLY 380 fire personnel assigned to this fire. Personnel include 190 Forest Service and 65 Cal Fire professionals. Equipment is sparse with 18 fire engines, 4 water tenders and 5 bulldozers.
Seventy of the fire personnel are overhead so effectively there are 150 firefighters per shift on the 7,000 acre of fire line.
Under normal circumstances Cal Fire would have 1,500 people swarming this fire.
Three helicopters and seven fixed wing aircraft are assigned and it is safe to say any substantial movement to suppress these fires will come from the air and the dozers working with firing crews.
Bottom line, this one will need cooperative weather.
Map from GeoMAC Wildfire Mapping (click to enlarge)
This image was grabbed from Fremont Peak Cam in the east side of the Salinas Valley June 22, 2008.
.
Labels: 2008 Fire Season, Big Sur, California Firestorm 2008, Gallery Fire
Comments:
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I'm disturbed by your lack of staffing problem, and hearing about the firefighters' exhaustion, etc. What can non-firefighters do to help?
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