Chopper crashes at Zaca Fire, blaze continues

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A helicopter crash near the Zaca Fire left two injured while fire crews continued to fight flames that scorched 6,500 acres since Wednesday and are threatening several structures in the Los Padres National Forest.
Two people were hurt when a contract helicopter crashed while taking off from the Figueroa Helibase, the staging area for helicopters fighting the blaze.

“Both pilot and passenger were transported by ground ambulance to Santa Ynez Hospital,” Zaca Fire Spokesman Andy Yamamoto said. “Both injuries appear to be minor.”
Officials shut down the base and all airborne operations until an investigation team, including Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, arrives on the scene this morning. Eleven other injuries have been reported since the start of the fire, including a broken leg, several twisted ankles and heat exhaustion, authorities said.
Lower temperatures, higher humidity and gentler winds have fire officials hopeful that crews will make significant progress in the next few days on containing the wildland fire, which is tearing through chaparral brush and woodland oak trees about 10 miles north of Los Olivos. Yamamoto said flames have crossed Manzana Creek and are continuing to move east and northeast toward Sisquoc River.
Located north of the flames along Manzana Creek are several structures, including the Manzana School House, a county historic landmark, and Dabney Cabin. Fire officials said those buildings are being protected as the flames progress toward them.
“We have a contingency crew placed strategically in those areas with structures,” CAL FIRE Spokesman Joel Vela said. He added that although fire crews worked to clear the area around the historic buildings, officials “will not put any lives of firefighters in danger to protect a structure.”
An estimated $5.9 million has been spent so far to battle the blaze, authorities said. As of yesterday evening, the official containment figure remained at 30 percent, with 1,918 firefighters on the scene. Fire personnel lowered the estimated acreage of the fire to 6,500 acres, down from earlier estimates of 7,800 acres.
Temperatures dipped to the mid-80s and humidity levels are rising, officials said, making them hopeful that they will be able to prevent the fire from moving across the Sisquoc River.
“We’ve had low winds the past couple of days, so we’re trying to take advantage of that,” Vela added.
Terrain in the area is very difficult to navigate, officials said, and the potential for fire growth is still high.
“The area is still very susceptible to burning,” Vela said. Officials described the vegetation to the north of the fire as “heavy, 40-year-old fuels with a high dead-to-live ratio.”
The east edge of the blaze reached sections of the Marre fire of 1993 over the weekend, and firefighters are taking advantage of the younger vegetation to attack the flames with a direct line, authorities said.
Closures of Cachuma and Figueroa recreation areas are still in effect, as are roadblocks on Happy Canyon Road at Baseline Road and Figueroa Mountain Road at State Route 154. State officials closed the campgrounds on Friday until further notice.
Investigators have determined that a property owner in Bell Canyon sparked the fire while using a grinder on metal equipment just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.