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Yahoo!Ray Ford called in from St. Mary’s Seminary on the west side of Rattlesnake Canyon area: The fire has burned past the seminary area; it did not burn the seminary. Hot shot crews are on the westside of Rattlesnake Canyon, and the fire has burned the entire way up to the ridge.
The first half mile of Rattlesnake Canyon trail area is completely burned out. Ford sees plumes of smoke on middle section. Good sized flames on upper part where trail turns east and heads up to Gibraltar Road.
The DC-10 was arriving as Ford reported.
Having moved over to Gibraltar Road, Ford reports that everything from Mountain Drive up to the crest of the mountains that drop down into Rattlesnake Canyon--all of the east side of Gibraltar Road up to the radio towers—has been completely burned through, with virtually no vegetation left at all, except for a few small trees around the houses. Can see several houses standing, and a few are gone. The location is about halfway up the mountain, where the cell phone towers are.
As he heads toward toward the Mt. Calvary Retreat Center, Ford reports that though the fire has leapt into Rattlesnake Canyon, homes there do not appear to be lost. At Las Canoas, homes appear to be intact.
On Stanwood Drive on back of Sycamore Canyon, he can see a number of houses smoking. He sees smoke all the way into the Montecito area: If winds turn, he said, there will be serious problems in Montecito basin area, e.g. north of East Valley Road.
In the distance to the east, he sees no vegetation on the hills at all.
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Thanks Ray. Your reporting is the most accurate, reliable and geographically precise. Looking forward to your map when you have the chance.
dhibbard (anonymous profile)
November 14, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Many many thanks, Ray. As usual, you are the ONE.
mtndriver (anonymous profile)
November 14, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LA times has a pic of the lower end of Conejo Rd off Stanwood just above Sycamore canyon that shows an almost complete burn of 20-25 homes. You can see the new road cut on Stanwood that was just done this year.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...
Not very detailed but compare with google earth pic (Conejo Ln, 93102).
Anybody been by Orizaba or El Cielito Rd off Stanwood?
remcobob (anonymous profile)
November 14, 2008 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's been alluded to on the Indy website and elsewhere that the Mt. Calvary Retreat House (just off Gibralter Road) burned to the ground. This story (from the Episcopal Diocese of LA -- with whom the monks of Mt. Calvary are affiliated) confirms it:
Bulletin: Montecito fire destroys Mount Calvary Retreat House
(Episcopal News, Los Angeles) -- The raging Montecito wildfire has destroyed historic Mount Calvary Retreat House, staff and Santa Barbara County officials have confirmed.
The resident brothers, members of the Order of the Holy Cross, and staff are safe following evacuation, said Nancy Bullock, program director for Mount Calvary, speaking by phone from All Saints by-the-Sea Church in Montecito.
Bullock said that All Saints is currently working to determine if any parishioners have lost homes in the blaze, which has claimed more than 100 residences across 2,500 acres. Bullock's husband, Jeff, is rector of the parish.
Bishop J. Jon Bruno, who is in close telephone contact with clergy leaders in the Santa Barbara area, asks the prayers of the diocesan community for all those affected by the fire. The bishop and staff of the Diocese of Los Angeles have pledged their support in assisting the coordination of fire recovery efforts. Checks, payable to theTreasurer of the Diocese and earmarked "Montecito Fire Recovery" may be sent to the Bishop's Office, 840 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026.
Mount Calvary's prior, the Rev. Nicholas Radelmiller OHC, is leading the brothers and staff in assessing next steps of response to the fire damage.
Bullock said the brothers and staff at Mt. Calvary, were able to leave with some of the hilltop retreat house's valuable art treasures, as well as computer records, "but so much is lost."
Mount Calvary staff will assist groups and individuals in seeking alternate locations for upcoming retreats, all of which are now cancelled owing to the fire, Bullock said. The Cathedral Center retreat center in Los Angeles is available to assist this process.
At Santa Barbara's Trinity Church, rector and deanery co-dean Mark Asman is meeting with staff and volunteers to assess the situation and crisis response. Further information will be reported through the Episcopal News email list as soon as it becomes available, Asman said.
Asman said Trinity Church's rectory and parish house were able to accommodate the brothers overnight November 13. St. Mary's Retreat House, an Episcopal Church site near the Santa Barbara Mission, has also extended hospitality, although it was subject to a temporary evacuation November 13.
Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared the fire zone a disaster area as fire fighters continue to work to contain the blaze.
Mount Calvary Retreat House, with its panoramic ocean views, was founded in 1947 by the Order of the Holy Cross, based in West Park, N.Y.
--Report filed by Bob Williams, canon for community relations, Diocese of Los Angeles.
vtawriter (anonymous profile)
November 14, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can say the area around upper Conejo, Las Alturas, and Mission Ridge was attacked in a spotty fashion. I was there about 1:00 to 1:30pm today.
My neighbors to the NE and S (upper Conejo just below Camino Alto) all three burned to the ground, our house is intact (shout out to our beloved firefighters), and my two neighbors below me -- closest to the fire -- both escaped without structure damage.
I passed a neighbor from Camino Alto, and he described a similar patchy attack.
Orizaba structures are most intact, spot fire damage around but nothing substantial. Stanwood down to Sycamore Canyon is destroyed, with most houses gone. Looking across the canyon toward Mountain Drive is virtually bare of vegetation, with a number of house under duress.
Two houses across from one another at the very top of the Riviera, Las Alturas and Las Alturas Circle, are burned out. The surroundings are pristine. One other home on Las Alturas Circle also was destroyed (near #26, from the Google Street view).
-- Randy Campbell
randy (Randy Campbell)
November 14, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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