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Zaca Fire

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Zaca Fire
Active flame front on the fire.
Date(s)July 4, 2007 (2007-07-04) – September 12, 2007 (2007-09-12)
LocationSan Rafael Mountains,
Los Padres National Forest,
Santa Barbara County, California
Statistics[1]
Burned area240,207 acres (972 km2)
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries43
Structures destroyed1
Damage$118.3 million
Ignition
CauseSparks from a grinding machine on private property
Map
Zaca Fire is located in southern California
Zaca Fire
Location of fire in Southern California.

The Zaca Fire was a wildfire which began burning in the San Rafael Mountains, northeast of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California.

The fire started on July 4, 2007, and by August 31, it had burned over 240,207 acres (972.083 km2), making it California's second largest fire in recorded history at that time after the Cedar Fire of 2003.[2][3] As of 2015, it is currently California's fourth largest fire in recorded history.[4] The fire was contained on September 2, 2007.[5] It was declared controlled on October 29, 2007.[6]

The fire was started as a result of sparks from a grinding machine on private property which was being used to repair a water pipe.[3][7]

By August 12, progress was being made on the fire through the combined efforts of firefighters and aircraft. Firefighters were able to turn the direction of the fire away from the Paradise Road community.[8]

Effects

As of September 2, the fire had cost $117 million to fight, and was 100% contained. The fire had primarily burned away from populated areas in extremely steep and rugged areas of the San Rafael Mountains in the Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Ynez River Recreation Area.[2] It only destroyed one Forest Service outbuilding. Its impacts on the environment and area water resources are not yet fully known.[9] Many trails and campgrounds in the Dick Smith Wilderness were destroyed. Since then a number have been rebuilt.

References

  1. ^ "Zaca Fire". CAL FIRE. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b [1] Cal Fire update page
  3. ^ a b Zaca Fire information on Yuba net
  4. ^ [2] Top 20 Largest California Wildfires
  5. ^ "Zaca Wildland Fire". Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  6. ^ "Zaca Fire Controlled But Not Out" InciWeb. Retrieved on November 6, 2007
  7. ^ "Officials Find Cause of Zaca Fire", KEYT3 news, July 6, 2007 Archived at Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Daniel, Stacy; Tina Leonard (August 12, 2007). "Critical turn in the Zaca Fire: DC-10 Airtanker flies over and Evacuation Order downgraded". KSBY-TV—San Luis Obispo, CA. MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-08-22.[dead link] [dead link]
  9. ^ "Zaca Fire Impacts Will Linger for Years" by Ray Ford, Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved on November 6, 2007