Posted on 09/03/2007 4:37:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Amid breezy conditions, firefighters this afternoon were scrambling to fight a brush fire that quickly scorched 200 acres outside of Morgan Hill near Henry Coe State Park, authorities said. Crews are using 10 Cal Fire engines, two helicopters and the DC-10 Air Tanker to battle the Lick Fire. No homes or buildings are currently threatened.
Bay Area residents reported thick plumes of smoke billowing out over the ridge line and traffic on Highway 101 between Gilroy and Morgan Hill had slowed.
"It is serious," said county Battalion Chief Scott Jalbert. "This has the potential of being a major fire."
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Thank you!
It's not all that hot in Morgan Hill today. It's a bit warm when you're out in the sun, but not as hot as it's been in the past few days. I've got a nice cool breeze blowing in through my sliding glass door right now. It's 82 (and dropping) in my apartment and I haven't had needed to run the air conditioner at all today.
Oops! My mistake.... ‘tanker 910’ is the DC10.
KNBC news at 6..
4 choppers, 4 tankers , 100 firefighters on scene, mostly air drops for now,, the DC10 Big Gun is going to make a drop before calling it a day, could take as long as a week to control ,, ouch.. potential 30,000 acres to burn
Brushfire Erupts At Henry Coe State Park
KTVU 2
http://www.ktvu.com/news/14037453/detail.htmlSeptember 3, 2007
MORGAN HILL — A fast-moving 400-acre brush fire that began Monday afternoon in Henry Coe State Park was threatening cabins and forcing the evacuation of park visitors.
The fire began at around 1:45 p.m. a few miles north of Mount Sizer and east of Blue Ridge Road, Cal Fire’s Pam Rhoten said. The fire was burning in Henry Coe State Park and also on private land.
Rhoten said anywhere from 20 to 50 cabins were being threatened by the fire, which was burning in heavy brush and timber.
She said park visitors have had to be evacuated, although she didn’t know how many people were forced to leave.
A DC-10 tanker has been ordered from Southern California to battle the blaze. Four tankers, two helicopters, two bulldozers and a fixed-winged aircraft are on scene along with a number of engines, Rhoten said.
There is no expected time of containment.
“Looking out the window I can see a big column of heavy smoke,” Rhoten said.
Wildfire burning out of control near Morgan Hill
John Wildermuth, Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/03/BAURRUJ2M.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Monday, September 3, 2007
(EXCERPT)
(09-03) 19:55 PDT MORGAN HILL - A squadron of air tankers is battling a blaze burning out of control in the hills near Anderson Reservoir, east of Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County.
By 7:45 p.m., the fire had burned more than 700 acres of timber and brush north of Mount Sizer and east of Blue Ridge Road, in and around Henry W. Coe State Park. No injuries were reported in the remote, heavily wooded area, although 20 to 50 back country cabins were threatened.
Park rangers and firefighters from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were evacuating some hikers, campers and other park visitors, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the department.
On the scene or on the way to the fire were six air tankers, five helicopters, 25 fire engines, 18 inmate crews and four bulldozers. A huge DC-10 aircraft used for firefighting was also on its way north from Southern California, Berlant said.
CA: Fire rips through 5,200 acres near Henry Coe StatePark ^
Mercury News ^ | 9/4/07 | Joshua Molina and Mark Gomez
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890944/posts
An excellent presentation that answers the questions about the most significant factor in wildfire behavior:
http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/chaparral/past_meet/pdfs/12Eisele_San%20Diego%20factors.pdf
National Interagency Fire Center http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
Good news. Glad for you and everyone else there.
This is now up to 6000 acres burned.
Officials: Fire near Henry Coe park could devour 10,000 acres today
FIREFIGHTERS HAVE NO ESTIMATE WHEN INFERNO WILL BE CONTAINED
Leslie Griffy and Mark Gomez
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6797222
The blaze raging in a remote area east of Morgan Hill could double in size today and devour 30,000 acres before it’s squelched, officials said.
If the blaze sparked Monday in Henry Coe State Park grows as Cal Fire spokesman Frank Kemper predicted, it could today consume at least 10,000 acres of rugged, forested terrain. By 2 p.m., the blaze had churned through 7,000 acres.
If the fire does grow to 30,000 acres, about the size of San Francisco, it would be one of the largest fires in Santa Clara County history. But it likely won’t destroy any homes, Kemper said, because the wind is fanning it the southeast. To the north, homes abut the park’s entrance. One structure, described as an outbuilding, has been destroyed so far.
Officials have no estimate for when they’ll have the blaze contained.
Dry vegetation at the park and winds make for a quickly spreading fire, Kemper said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.