Cave Fire Update Fire Information Call Center - (833) 688 - 5551                     https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6662/  November 26, 2019 3:30 p.m. Start Date: Nov. 25, 2019     Cause: Unknown    Size: 4,262 acres   Containment: 0%    Personnel: 600 Structures Threatened: 2,410 structures threatened, 0 residential structures burned   Injuries: 0 Location:  State Highway 154 at Painted Cave Road           Current Situation: Active fire behavior increased over night. Santa Barbara County proclaimed a local emergency due to the Fire, burning in the unincorporated area of the county, north of Cathedral Oaks. Weather Event: Currently, weather is a concern with extremely dry vegetation after 180 days without rain in the area. However, clouds will increase on Tuesday evening with rain anticipated after midnight. The potential rain within the system will drive incident activity. The approaching front will continue erratic gusty north winds in the fire area through tonight with peak gusts of winds up to 40 mph. Humidity is relatively low near 15% and expected to improve later tonight.   Parts of southern Santa Barbara County are experiencing power outages due to impacts from the #cavefire. This outage is not related to a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Outages have been reported in unincorporated areas between the cities of Goleta and Santa Barbara, along Highway 154 through Mission Canyon, and parts of Summerland and Carpinteria. Call SCE 1-800-611-1911 if you have any questions or visit https://www.sce.com/outage-center for outage area updates. Do not call 911 unless you have an emergency.

 

Information Sources: A fire information call center is staffed and available to answer your questions. The phone number is 833-688-5551. Register at www.ReadySBC.org to receive emergency alerts from Santa Barbara County. Also take note of the official social media links at the top of this page. Residents need to prepare to follow directions from emergency management officials.

 

Road Closure: A soft closure is in place at the 246/154 for residents. A hard closure is in place on Highway 154 at Paradise Road.

 

Mandatory Evacuations: Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Cave Fire Monday night for the areas north of Cathedral Oaks Road between Patterson Avenue in Goleta and Highway 154, and the areas north of Highway 192/Foothill Road between Highway 154 and North Ontare Road in Santa Barbara.   As of noon on November 26, evacuation orders were lifted for the area west of Highway 154 between Patterson and Fairview Avenue.   The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management interactive map has updated evacuation information as well as the fire perimeter.    Evacuation Warning: Evacuation warnings were issued for the area between North Ontare Road and Gibraltar Road, north of Highway 192/Foothill Road. Warnings were also issued for the area between Highway 154 and El Sueno Road, between Cathedral Oaks and Calle Real.   Evacuation Shelters: The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter at the Goleta Valley Community Center located at 5679 Hollister Avenue.   For animal evacuation questions and offers of assistance, call the Animal Services Hotline at (805) 681-4332. The Goleta Animal Shelter, 5473 Overpass Road, Santa Barbara, is available to assist evacuees with small animals. Earl Warren Showgrounds 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, CA can accept large animals.

 

Drones:  Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease.  The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”

 

Current Fire Restrictions: The Los Padres National Forest currently does not allow open fires, campfires or charcoal fires outside of developed recreation sites or designated Campfire Use Sites even with a valid California Campfire Permit. Additional Details are available on the Alerts and Notices page of the Los Padres National Forest Website.

 The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 154 in both directions between Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley and Highway 192/Foothill Road in the Santa Barbara area.

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. October 28, 2019 – Mary Joanna Gomez from Mississippi was found alive and in stable condition by National Park Service personnel on the afternoon of October 28th and has been in contact with her family and will be reunited with them shortly. She was found off trail about 3.5 miles over rocky and steep terrain from her vehicle.

 

A California Air National Guard aircraft C-130 first located an SOS spelled out with rocks on the ground and later identified a person nearby. Ground searchers responded and were able to find Mrs. Gomez cold, thirsty and hungry, but in otherwise good health.

 

Mrs. Gomez was reported missing by her family after missing her work shift in the Bay Area on Friday, October 25th.  Her last contact with family had been the day prior while visiting Kings Canyon National Park, when she stated her intention to visit Sequoia. Her vehicle was located on the night of October 26th which helped narrow down the search zone.  

 

For trip planning help and current conditions, visit our website www.nps.gov/seki.

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. October 28, 2019 – The search for missing Mary Joanna Gomez, 56-year-old from Mississippi, continues with growing search teams and limited clues.  Mrs. Gomez has been on assignment in the Bay Area as a traveling nurse, and arrived in Kings Canyon National Park on Wednesday, October 23rd on her day off. Her last communication with family was on October 24th when she text messaged her daughter with photos taken in different areas of Kings Canyon.  She was expected back to work on October 25th, missed her shift, and her family reported her missing to the San Francisco Police Department.

 

National Park Service (NPS) staff place her in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park on the morning of Saturday, October 26th.  That night, shortly before midnight, her vehicle was located along the Generals Highway near a trailhead by a park ranger.  It had not been at that trailhead earlier in the day. 

 

Multiple teams are actively searching the area surrounding her vehicle with search dogs, air craft and search teams on foot.  Her husband and daughter arrived in Kings Canyon on Sunday, October 27th and are with NPS staff.

 

The investigation continues and all updates will be posted to the Inciweb site as it becomes available: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6655/.

 

If you have been in the parks since Wednesday, October 23rd, specifically in the Little Baldy area, and you think you may have seen Mrs. Gomez or her vehicle, please call the tip line at 888-677-2746.

-NPS-

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

These two parks, which lie-side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, serve as a prime example of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Over 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks for the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki or 559-565-3341.

 

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 Crews Released From Incident as Containment Increases

Over the last three days, crews have made significant progress on the fire. Containment continues to increase as the fire perimeter is strengthened and improved. More accurate mapping brings the final acreage to 540. This will be the Final News Release for the Molino Fire. As of 5:00 pm tonight, the Molino Fire Public Information Officer and phone number will no longer be available. Any notable activity will be available by calling the Coronado National Forest Public Affairs Office at (520) 388-8484 or visiting https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6654/ .

“We would like thank the public for their support and patience during this incident and road closure.  Our number one priority is the safety of public and firefighters. We have had great success gaining containment, have no reported injuries, and no structures lost” stated Incident Commander Anthony Walkosak.

Based on this progress, the Incident Management Team has released resources from the incident and made available to assist with other fires. Fire resources from Coronado National Forest will continue to patrol and monitor the fire.  Fire activity is low with hotspots well within the fire interior.  The public may continue to see smoke over the next few days.  Please do not report this fire.

Molino Basin Campground will remain closed until Saturday, November 2, 2019.  Members of the public planning to travel on the Arizona Trail should utilize other access points until this time.

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Forward Progress has Stopped, Containment Increases, Crews Continue with Mop-up

Forward  progress has stopped on the fire and containment on the Molino Fire increased to 50% despite the fire’s location in steep, rugged terrain.  The fire remains under investigation and a fire investigator is working to determine the cause.

Today crews will patrol and monitor fire activity.  There is minimal fire behavior with hot spots within the fire perimeter. Smoke may be visible within the fire interior for the next few days. Due to the steep terrain, crews will be on alert for debris rolling downhill and possibly moving beyond the established perimeter. Firefighters will continue to strengthen and improve the fire line to decrease the chances of roll out. Aircraft have not been used for water or retardant drops. 

UAV (drone) pilots are onsite and will assist with multiple tasks including more accurate mapping and reconnaissance. The UAV pilots are officially assigned to the fire and are authorized to operate within the fire area.  We would like to remind the public that hobbyist drones and firefighting aircraft don't mix. All authorized aircraft on an incident maintain radio communication with each other to safely coordinate their missions, but aerial firefighting flight crews have no way to communicate with drone operators. An unauthorized drone puts firefighter’s safety at risk and can prevent fire suppression activities.  Remember if you fly, we can’t!

There are currently no structures threatened and no injuries have been reported. Molino Basin Campground remains closed.

Forward Progress Stopped as Crews Work Towards Full Suppression

The Molino Fire was located on Sunday, October 27 around 3:30 pm. The fire is located mostly in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness in the Molino Basin on the Coronado National Forest. Please do not report this fire. 

Crews began working along Catalina Highway Sunday afternoon and are providing for point protection in Molino Basin Campground. The fire is moving through steep, rugged terrain, and the safety of firefighters and the public is the number one priority.  Crews are utilizing established roads and trails to serve as boundaries for the fire perimeter and going direct where appropriate.

Forward progress has stopped and no additional growth is expected. Crews will continue to patrol the fire perimeter and utilize minimum impact suppression tactics to secure fire line along the western and southern edge. Firing operations and chainsaw operations are being conducted when necessary to strengthen and improve fire line. A fixed wing aircraft and helicopter will complete reconnaissance flights as needed and to provide accurate mapping. Aircraft have not been used for water or retardant drops.

There are currently no structures threatened and no injuries have been reported.

The weather forecast will be warm and dry with winds expected at 10-20 mph out of the northwest.  There is a zero chance of precipitation.

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Catalina Highway has reopened to all vehicle traffic.  Please drive slowly and turn on headlights for safety.  Firefighters crews and equipment continue to work in the area.

Catalina Highway is closed at mile marker zero to all traffic with the following exceptions:
-Residents
-Employees 

Anyone traveling beyond the road block must provide proof of residence/employment. This can be done with an ID, pay stub, utility bill, etc.  For more information call the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-547-7510 for the latest information.

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