A wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service was shot December 11 while driving a vehicle in Monterey County, California. The victim, Division Chief Peter Harris, was shot in the neck and ear. Even though he was wounded, Chief Harris was able to provide a description to a 911 operator.
Below is an excerpt from an article by KSBW:
The suspected gunman was identified as 25-year-old Jacob Kirkendall of Santa Cruz.
Kirkendall led Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies and Fort Hunter Liggett officers on a chase through the Army post while he was driving a red pickup truck.
Law enforcement authorities opened fire on Kirkendall’s truck, and bullets struck the driver’s side door, according to scanner traffic.
Kirkendall sped off, officers lost sight of the pickup truck, and the gunman slipped away for several tense minutes, according to scanner traffic. [With help from a CHP helicopter] Kirkendall was eventually found, arrested, and taken into custody. The Sheriff’s Office declined to discuss a possible motive, and would not comment on why Kirkendall was in south Monterey County.
Harris was taken to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and he is expected to be OK.
Kirkendall is being charged with attempted murder and firing into an occupied vehicle.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Ken. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
@EliasonMike of the Santa Barbara Fire Department uploaded these photos to Twitter December 13:
#ThomasFire-Five engines and 2 Dozers from the Santa Barbara County Fire Dept are in the process of clearing a fire break and laying 10 THOUSAND feet of hose across a canyon from atop Camino Cielo down to Gibraltar to make a stand should the fire move that direction.
New mandatory evacuation orders issued. New estimates show approximately 230,000 acres have burned.
Above: The Thomas Fire as seen from Sisar Peak east of Ojai at 9:07 a.m. PST December 10, 2017.
(UPDATED at 9:58 p.m. PST December 10, 2017)
The Thomas Fire has spread well into Santa Barbara County, and Sunday afternoon was on the slopes north of Carpinteria, California. The strong northeast Santa Ana wind slowed, as has the fire growth, but the vegetation is so dry that a moderate wind can still keep it moving at a persistent pace
Sunday evening the U.S. Forest Service reported the fire has burned 230,000 acres. If this is accurate it puts it at number 5, near the top of the list of the largest fires in the recorded history of California.
The forecast calls for wind on the slopes above Carpinteria Sunday night to be from the northeast at 10 mph, variable directions on Monday, and then Monday night to again be from the northeast but stronger, 15 mph with gusts to 23. The relative humidity will remain in the teens night and day through Tuesday. This could lead to active fire behavior throughout that period.
Using heat sensor data from a satellite, we mapped the additional acres that burned on the west side of the fire Saturday night and early Sunday morning. It is shown in blue on the map below, and this freshly burned area covers about 40,000 acres. The data is not verified, since at times the heat sensor was overwhelmed by hot particulate matter in the smoke plume outside the actual fire perimeter, so this may change after more accurate information is available from an overnight fixed wing aircraft mapping flight.
Draft map showing an approximation of the additional acres (in blue) that burned in the Thomas Fire Saturday night and Sunday morning. This is preliminary and subject to change. Click to enlarge.
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(UPDATED at 4:55 p.m. PST December 12, 2017)
At a town hall meeting about the Thomas Fire at San Marcos High School today, officials provided updated information.
The fire made a major run during much of the day on Sunday, adding an estimated 50,000 acres which could bring the total size up to around 225,000 acres by the end of the day. This would make it the 5th largest in recorded history of the state. These numbers are subject to verification by aerial mapping scheduled for Sunday night.
Town Hall meeting about Thomas Fire, 4 p.m. December 12.
An additional 100 fire engines were ordered for the Santa Barbara area.
The live broadcast was hosted by VCFD_PIO on Periscope.
By the numbers:
Structures Threatened: 15,000
Structures Destroyed: 754
Structures Damaged: 162
Engines: 611
Water Tenders: 31
Helicopters: 30
Hand Crews: 55
Dozers: 51 Total Personnel: 4435
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(Updated at 9:51 a.m. PST December 10, 2017)
New evacuation orders have been issued for areas in Santa Barbara County as the Thomas Fire aggressively spreads further west. Saturday afternoon it moved into the county north of Carpinteria putting up massive convection columns of smoke Saturday night and Sunday morning as strong winds and very low humidity persisted throughout the night.
The fire continues to burn actively to the north, east, and west threatening structures in parts of the cities of Ventura, Ojai, Casitas Springs, Santa Paula, Carpinteria, Fillmore and the unincorporated areas of Ventura County and Matilija Canyon. It is expected to spread towards Sespe Wilderness and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
CAL FIRE reported Sunday morning that the Thomas Fire has burned 173,000 acres and destroyed 537 structures, damaging 118 others.
Map of the Thomas Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 9:30 p.m. PST December 9, 2017. The white line was the perimeter 24 hours before.
The latest information about evacuations is at the Santa Barbara County website, but generally, as of 7 a.m. Sunday, the new area is “north of Highway 192, E. Valley Road, east of Buena Vista Drive, to include the 900 block of Park Lane, is a mandatory evacuation zone. Everything south of Highway 192, E. Valley Road, east of San Ysidro, is under a voluntary warning order.” (map) An evacuation shelter has been established at the UCSB Recreational Center, 516 Ocean Road, Santa Barbara.
The weather continues to be a challenge for firefighters. The Sunday forecast call for a Red Flag Warning including winds northeast at 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. And on Monday, 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
Firefighters on the Thomas Fire at 4 a.m. PST December 10, 2017. Photo by Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
#ThomasFire – FF’s knock down flames as they advance on a home atop Shepherd Mesa Road in Carpinteria at 6 am Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/3M9rO7cYCd
The fire has burned 155,000 acres near Ventura, Carpinteria, and Ojai in Southern California. Ventura County Fire Department reports 600 structures have been destroyed.
Above: The red line was the perimeter of the Thomas Fire at 9:30 p.m. PST December 8. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 12:45 p.m. PST December 9, 2017.
(UPDATED at 6:52 p.m. PST December 9, 2017)
The 155,000-acre Thomas Fire has moved into Santa Barbara County near Divide Peak. Late Saturday afternoon the Incident Management Team reported that 460 structures have been destroyed in the city of Ventura and another 140 in the rest of Ventura County.
Most of the growth of the fire Friday night and Saturday morning was on the west side. The east side northwest of Fillmore was also active and air tankers and helicopters were used with good results there Saturday.
As the fire moves closer to Carpinteria 50 engines have been staged in the city and preparations are being made to protect structures and construct firelines. The fire is about 5 miles northeast of the intersection of Highways 1 and 150 on the east side of the city.
An unmanned aerial aircraft is being used to provide a live video feed to firefighters.
About 4,400 personnel are assigned to the fire and a large order for additional resources was placed today. The estimated costs to date are $25 million.
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(UPDATED at 5:45 a.m. PST December 9, 2017)
The Incident Management Team reports that the Thomas Fire has destroyed 476 structures and burned 143,000 acres. Some mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted but many are still in place for some locations in the Ventura and Ojai areas.
On Friday the fire was very active across most of the north side, west of Lake Casitas, and northwest of Fillmore. It is expected to spread towards Santa Barbara County, Sespe Wilderness and the Sespe Condor Sanctuary.
Temporary residential access will be permitted on Saturday 12/9/17 and Sunday 12/10/17 during the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm for residents who live in the areas affected by the Thomas Fire. The access will be by escort only. A check-in tent will be set up in the parking lot of Temple Beth Torah located at 7620 Foothill Road. Residents must be able to show proof of residency (Driver’s License, Utility Bill, etc.) to be permitted to enter. Entry will be limited to 2 persons per household. Personal vehicles will not be allowed into the area. Residents will be driven to their home and allowed a 15-minute period of time to get personal necessities (clothing, medication, etc.). For safety purposes, access will not be permitted to home sites which have been destroyed or sustained damage that poses a safety risk.
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(UPDATED at 5:24 p.m. PST December 8, 2017)
The Ventura County Fire Department has revised the number structures destroyed in the Thomas Fire from 91 to 401.
Friday afternoon the fire was very active on the north side — north of Wheeler Springs, and on the east side northwest of Fillmore. It was fairly quiet around Ojai with the exception of a controlled burnout to help tie in some fireline south of the south end of Boardman Road.
(Originally published at 10:40 a.m. December 8, 2017)
The 132,000-acre Thomas Fire is far from being contained. Over the last two days it has been spreading to the west, almost enveloping the city of Ojai and growing closer to Carpinteria as it burns near the Pacific Ocean.
This 3-D view of the Thomas fire is looking east over Ojai, California. The (red) fire perimeter was valid at 11 p.m. PST December 7, 2017.
These numbers will no doubt change in the next week or so, but officials report that 73 residential, 3 commercial and 15 outbuildings have been destroyed, mostly in the Ventura area.
This huge “megafire” is being fought with 471 engines, 28 hand crews, 12 helicopters, 26 dozers, and 7 water tenders, for a total of 2,509 personnel.
The red line on the map of the Thomas Fire was the perimeter at 11 p.m. PST December 7, 2017. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. Click to enlarge.
The fire ran for six miles along Highway 76 Thursday afternoon in Southern California.
Above: Map of the Lilac Fire at 12:01 a.m. PST December 8, 2017.
(UPDATED at 5:12 a.m. PST December 9, 2017)
There were no significant changes in the perimeter of the Lilac Fire on December 8. Firefighters were able to make progress on containment lines due to favorable weather conditions.
CAL FIRE and Cal OES damage assessment teams have started their inspections. At last count 105 structures were destroyed. Friday morning CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 assumed command. The team is in unified command with Oceanside Fire Department, Vista Fire Department, North County Fire Protection District and the San Diego County Sheriff Department.
The official size, according to CAL FIRE, is 4,100 acres.
(Originally published at 8:51 a.m. PST December 8, 2017)
Fire officials said 65 structures have been destroyed in the 4,100-acre Lilac Fire southwest of Temecula, California. After it started at 11:15 a.m. Thursday at Interstate 15 near the intersection of Highway 76 it was pushed along the Highway 76 corridor by strong Santa Ana winds. By midnight it had spread for 6 miles to the southwest almost enveloping the community of Bonsall.
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Lilac Fire can be found HERE.)
Many of the destroyed structures were in a mobile home park southwest of the I. 15/Hwy. 76 intersection.
File photo of the mobile home park before the fire.
The video below, recorded Thursday evening, shows the fire within the mobile home park.
Three civilians suffered burn injuries before they were able to evacuate from the rapidly spreading fire. Two firefighters were also injured, but not from burns.
Firefighters are using military helicopters from Camp Pendleton and Naval Air Station North Island during the day and night flying helicopters from San Diego Fire-Rescue at night.
NBC7 in San Diego reported that several hundred race horses at the San Luis Rey Downs training facility east of Bonsall were turned loose to fend for themselves since there was not enough time to load all of them into trucks or trailers and transport them to safety. Not all of them survived.
Above: The view of the Lilac Fire as seen from an HPWREN camera on Red Mountain near Fallbrook, CA, looking south at about 1:45 p.m. PST December 7, 2017.
(UPDATED at 4:25 p.m. PST December 7, 2017)
CAl FIRE reports that the Lilac Fire south of Temecula, CA has grown to 2,500 acres. New evacuation order: South of Hwy 76, West of I-15 Freeway, North of Gopher Canyon Rd, East of East Vista Way & Mission Rd.
Two civilian burn victims were treated & transported.
(All articles on Wildfire Today about the Lilac Fire can be found HERE.)
A temporary evacuation point has been set up at the Carlsbad Forum, and a temporary evacuation center has been established at Great Oak High School, 32555 Deer Hollow Way, Temecula, CA.
The Lilac Fire south of Temecula, CA “is growing at a dangerous rate of spread with 1,000 structures threatened”, a spokesperson for CAL FIRE said at 2:25 p.m. Five structures have been destroyed and Highway 76 is closed in both directions.
In addition to federal and state aircraft working the fire now, CAL FIRE is making arrangements to use military helicopters from Camp Pendleton and Naval Air Station North Island during the day and night flying helicopters from San Diego Fire-Rescue.
