 Good morning. Welcome to the 6 a.m. press conference here on the CZU lightning complex My name is Jonathan Cox deputy chief with Cal Fire San Mateo Santa Cruz unit and line officer on the incident as Always if you could just make sure that you keep your phones muted in the press conference area as well as take any Conversations outside. We also asked you keep your masks on at all times There will be a chance at the end for questions and answers for the representatives that are up here Just a quick update this morning as of 600 we are now standing at 81,333 acres 81,333 we can confirm that we have 21% containment There are however still over 23,000 structures threatened by the fire Unfortunately, we can confirm that there have been 646 structures that have been destroyed 11 of those structures are in San Mateo County and and 635 of them are in Santa Cruz County with that our Personnel numbers continue to increase as more resources arrive at scene and we now have 1,982 firefighting personnel on the line with that I'll transition right over to an operations briefing from Cal Fire IMT 3 Op section chief mark Brenton Good morning So the past a few days as I've mentioned We've had a lot of good success about establishing more control lines around the fire being able to get deeper into the fire continue to extinguish fire around homes and And start creating a more safe environment as we are entering more towards a repopulation potential down the road So just again in the north zone of our fire We're starting to see a lot of great progress in that north zone again Our line is held in division Gulf in kilo again That is just in a patrol and mop up status and that has really protected any movement of the fire Towards Santa Clara County. We're very very confident that that's that's going to hold and that's going to maintain Round buton of Park again The fire is just slowly creeping down towards our control line where we could best take advantage of suppression activities Again, the weather has really mitigated the progression of the fire Which is good, but as far as the operation getting down to fully extinguish it It's a slow paint staking process, but we're getting there Continuing as we move down towards the coast as you see the black lining on the the map again That's area that's been extinguished. We're going in putting control line around it so that we are very confident that that part of it's fully controlled and We're getting a lot of progress along that way and we have Folks patrolling that making sure that that is completely and fully out Moving down towards Davenport a lot of great progress there The utility companies are in there working diligently so that we can restore that community So it's operational the highway one corridor Cal Trans has worked diligently to make sure that that's open and and ready to receive People on that roadway On our south end of the fire You'll see some black line here and we'll continue to put black line on the map as the next coming days Our line is holding very well in that area and our secondary line of course So for the protection of the UC campus, which was just recently Repopulated and for the community of Santa Cruz. They're in very good shape Especially with the upcoming weather that we're going to be seeing in the next couple days where it's start Going to start getting warmer drier and we'll see a bit of a north wind of Produced and in pushing on that line It'll give us a good wind test and that will really Validate for us that line and it being able to hold without with with a lot of confidence Around Felton we have good line around three-quarters of Felton and Yesterday the big story was burning operation that was going on on the the north end and Tying into the bottom end of been lumen on a line that has been established That had to be delayed due to the weather in particular Just wasn't conducive for the burning conditions so that we wanted to get the right conditions to get the most effective burn possible The firing operation burn operation ended up starting later in the day around three to four in the afternoon And it had to take it to slow. It was a slow painstaking process So that delayed that but what I personally witnessed it was going very well We had adequate resources. We had highly qualified resources in there So that we had a very safe effective burn and they were able to get probably about Just over half almost three-quarters done. They'll continue that process today Won't say it's the easier leg of the burn But it is one that we're very comfortable with and it's just the weather is what we're doing So they've stopped it up make sure that we don't continue on and have not an effective burn So we want to make sure it's effective and efficient and that'll continue today So it will produce smoke yesterday afternoon in the light daylight hours People saw a lot more smoke production That's what it was and that's normal That's showed that we were having effective burn when we had the smoke production that we had so even from a distance I could tell they were doing great work moving up the highway nine corridor The communities of Ben Lohman of Boulder Creek Looking really good. We have line being punched in behind those communities It's just the largest work again due to the topography and the fuel loading We've gotten an influx of a lot of resources throughout yesterday all day long I saw messages coming in from my my operations section chiefs that divvy out the resources as we receive them to my other partners that run the north and south zone and we were divvying out those resources accordingly to our needs and our strategy priorities and We were seeing everything from engines. We were seeing crews which we desperately need. We were seeing our type one crews so everything was was showing up that we needed and We were putting them directly to work We were also saving a few of them so that we balance out our shift because they work a 24-hour shift We don't want to overload one shift and I'd have a shift that isn't fully staffed So we're doing a balancing act on top of that So today again, we have a very robust shift to be able to tackle this this challenge The rest of it's looking really good as we're moving up highway 236 the Caltrans in their working so we can gain access even further and deeper and get into the park Bonnie Dune same thing. We've got County Roadworks along with our specialty road crews that are going in Getting that opened up so our inspection crews can get in there that the utility companies We make it safe they can get in and start doing their work I know PG&E has been there in full force getting their infrastructure up and running as well as the other utilities So we're getting that point where they're getting their work done We're getting our work done and it's a very symbiotic in in this challenge air support Yesterday weather was not helpful to that. We could not get any reconnaissance flights in it was until very late in the day We get a water dropping flights in so we didn't have as much success from the air yesterday We feel moving forward with the outcome oncoming weather We are gonna have a lot more success Go back to how we were a few days ago timing out our aircraft dropping lots of water and support of our ground troops and Work another day closer to accomplish our mission and getting this this done and people back where they want to be at back at home Speaking next from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is Chief Deputy Chris Clark Good morning fairly quiet night for us out in the field There were no arrests no citations as we continue kind of that trend which is a good thing last night We had 60 officers and deputies that were patrolling today. We'll have a 42 21 from the Sheriff's Office 14 from our in-county partners and then seven mutual aid Folks from over the hill in terms of calls for service We responded to 10 welfare checks last night and three suspicious people on a positive note And really thanks for the public's help on this is that we located one of the three missing people that we had Still outstanding so mr. Rankie has been located and I just want to say thank you for those that they called in And helped us with that so we still have sort that brings our total to two And so again, we we just encourage if you've heard from those two people their pictures their information is on our Facebook page To take a look at that and if you again if you recognize them or you know them either have them call us or or you call us We'd greatly appreciate it Another thing we were doing and just for folks at home Animal services, you know, they've been kind of inundated with with animal Request to feed animals and and to check on animals were assisting them with that last night our folks Did over a hundred hit over a hundred different homes In assisting animal services with taking care of pets that were unfortunately left behind So we're animal service doing everything they can to get out there and we're helping them with that and then obviously as we I spoke about last night repopulation So that's really kind of where our focus is now in addition to security obviously and welfare checks, but With repopulation, I just want to reiterate to folks who've been displaced To know your zone I mentioned that yesterday, you know going to the cal going to Cal fires website Taking a look at the instant fact sheet for this fire and understanding kind of where and what zone you Reside and then again watching to see and you know and following the right channels, right? So Cal fire our social media making sure it's a Trusted source and then checking that map and and so there's more information to come There's going to be a lot more information as we go as we go along But those are making sure that you're checking those resources and then taking a look again at that map to know what zone you're in So definitely know your zone and then and then waiting at checkpoint So, you know, I mentioned last night that you know, I can understand people's rush to get back I would I would want to get back home But what we don't want to see and what I want to assure you is that Is that you know, we want to do this as systematic as possible to be able to get people in as efficiently as possible So definitely don't don't don't feel like you have to you know, wait at a checkpoint for more information We will we will absolutely keep you the best informed so that we can get you home as fast as possible And again, it's you know, I think I mentioned this last night Someone had mentioned is it going to be a foot race between myself and some thief to my house And that's that's not the case. So we are going to maintain. We will maintain a presence throughout The repopulation as we go along to make sure that people are settled and safe and things are Things are okay before before any of our any of our plans change So that but what we don't want to see is a whole ton of people at the checkpoint just waiting. It just makes that that process Less efficient, but definitely keep keep a prize to the different information sources That are out there between Cal fire and us and then lastly, I just want to touch on again that damage assessment map We've said it we've said it a few times that there's you know Areas that are continuing to be to be assessed that maps going to continue to grow But you can find all that at Santa Cruz County dot us and that's Santa Cruz County dot us for damage assessment map as well as other Resources for folks that have been displaced. Thank you Next speaking on behalf of all the unified incident commanders is Cal fire incident management team 3 I see Billy see Good morning. Obviously one week ago We started a large evacuation process to move Several thousand Residents out of the area both for their safety and the safety of our firefighters over the course of the next 48 hours We're going to be looking at repopulating different areas in and around this fire Making the recommendations with our law enforcement partners. Obviously you heard it needs to be a Coordinated and methodical process. We need to ensure that we have electricity We need to ensure the roadways are safe to travel We need to make sure that we have corridors for our firefighters to travel in and out of the fire area We need to make sure the water is in place That's a coordinated effort. It takes a lot of different Agencies to ensure this occurs Obviously the community Davenport you hear that we're working with PG&E and cooperation to get the Electricity strung back in that area and get that secured to make it safe The fire perimeter each day. We're gaining confidence as we increase our resources on this incident Today, we're going to have over a thousand firefighters out on that line working diligently To gain perimeter control each day We increase our containment efforts on this incident and we'll continue to do that until we have a hundred percent contained and We've been able to lift the majority of the evacuation orders and warnings in this area. Thank you Final speaker this morning Cal Fire San Mateo Santa Cruz unit unit chief Ian Larkin. Good morning We just want to reiterate the teams doing an outstanding job out there they're working with our Cooperators getting our infrastructure back in place This fire burnt through a lot of areas where it took out our PG&E electrical lines It took out guardrails along roadways that are important to make sure that people don't drive off the roadway and drive up into Off into a ravine. So it's going to take time. We're just asking for your patience The incident is working Diligently as chief C said we have every available resource that we can that's out there Working in a safe manner to try to mitigate this incident as quickly as possible as I just want to re-emphasize What Chief Deputy Clark said for damage inspection as that continues the numbers continue to go up One day you need to check that map every day and one day your house May not be on there and the next day as we continue damage inspection more structures will be Added to that as they go through and find that out and that that link on the to that map could be found at that Santa Cruz County US Additionally for the repopulation The link to that map is SMCO.community.zonehaven and that's SMCO.community.zonehaven and that will take you to the interactive map That will allow you to see what zones are being repopulated and as those zones are repopulated You will see that the zone will go from red to green To indicate that that is a zone that has been repopulated or approved for repopulation and once again for those that have identified through the Damage inspection that your homes have received some type of damage or have been destroyed There are several resources out there that I've stated before but I just want to reiterate that You can go to the disaster assistance dot gov. That's a disaster assistance dot gov There's a lot of resources available to you to start that process for the recovery side. You can also download the FEMA app That will assist you in getting started in that process with the resources available from FEMA As we said, we're just asking for some additional patients here as we work through this To make this environment as safe as possible for you to return to the areas where you reside. Thank you All right with that what happened answer any questions? Yes, the question is related to homes that have been destroyed and there's damage inspection teams that work for the incident management team that are going through behind the fire to Basically catalog all the damage and destruction through there the speaking with GC this morning They're at about 55 percent complete of their process And obviously what they're contending with well at the moment is just getting deep into the fire perimeter With all the trees that are down the power poles that are down and the kind of the conditions that they're facing Correct Repopulation There's some chatter on social media from residents that are under the belief that they they can get police escorts back in Clarify that's the case. What are the what are some of those stipulations if that's possible or not? Sure the questions related to What is the what is the information regarding the rumor of getting passes to get back in and that would be a one for the Sheriff's Department? Yeah, so as we've said before that really We've evacuated an area and really to be able to better secure that area to better facilitate the improvement of different infrastructure systems between water power and Entry cutting and allowing Cal fire to read, you know to make sure their lines are established and put this fire up That's the focus. So there is no there There's no system for passes or anything like that if you're not an essential and if you're not an essential worker on the fire And then does that answer your question Tom? There's chatter that there No, there's no escorts and in that you know, I mean we totally understand I mean we know that people want to get back to their homes for for things, you know, if it's life-saving medication We've said this before if it's something but you know we've also Encouraged people if you if you needed if you could go a different route to obtain that sort of stuff to do that At this time we're just trying to emphasize, you know making sure that that area is clear for all those crews to be able to clean up the roads You know, re put back the power, you know restring the lines Redo water conduit all that stuff, which is going to take time We're just giving them space to work and that's that's really where we're asking for for patients the quicker and the better that they Can work the faster that they're able to repair that stuff That's correct Yes combination of combination of all that, you know as I've mentioned we had detectives working on those And we'll continue to work right now again We have to and I'll just reiterate again if you haven't heard from a friend or a loved one that may be in this In the evacuated area to definitely cause we want to make sure they're okay Just just as much as you do so give us a call. We'll definitely we'll take a case on it and we'll we'll find Or Yeah, so a great question in terms of repopulation How does that look so from and I mentioned this last night from least affected to most affected basically going from the outside end And then doing that in a systematic fashion as I mentioned Scott's Valley last night I said day or days, you know with regards to to repopulating Scott's Valley And that'll kind of be the case, you know for those least affected areas And then as we get obviously closer to the more heavily impacted areas that time frame kind of that time frame Goes up obviously because there's more damage to power water streets and things like that. So just a But yeah, it'll be at least affected to to most affected Yeah, so the question is what is the forecast for the next coming days and kind of the impact on the fire? as I've stated before We have signed to our team not only a fire behavior analyst, but a And I'm at an incident meteorologist an actual meteorologist from the National Weather Service And actually he's been just joined by a trainee So we've got actually two meteorologists here on this incident and the operation section We were extremely closely in fact on our operations trailer or office that we have here We they're in our office and that's how much we rely upon their information because we base all our actions on the current and expected weather So that being said We've been the the meteorologists do forecasts like meteorologists do and and they analyze I mean minute by minute. They're sitting there and analyzing the data crushing that data and From that they put out a really good matrix for us to follow. So and and they do it because Firefighters are kind of visual creatures We we learn in that way and we operate that way So they have a poster they put up at all of our briefings so that we can look at it and then analyze it And and we can look days ahead. What what is that doing and what are they look? We look at a lot of different things metrics regarding that. So what's coming forward? We've had great weather. Like you said We've had a lot of production because of that weather We are moving into a very drier Set of days Temperatures going to go up our relative humidity is going to drop with that the fuel moisture is what little moisture They've been able to obtain over this latest weather. That's going to drop so the the weather is hotter and drier the fuel has become drier and We are going to see some wind. We're going to see a pattern which creates this dry atmosphere and north northwest wind which typically is a challenge for us so with that we Plan we we develop our strategy would change our strategy and our tactics to meet that need of the and what the weather is going to do And that kind of dictates what how we're operating, but for our overall plan. It's not going to change anything dramatically We are taking that into account. We're addressing that as part of our plan and moving forward but we aren't going to see anything so dramatic on this fire that It's going to change anything or create a significant change in the fire behavior It'll increase it a little bit, but we're ready for it and and should be a problem for us No, I mean I don't want to dig anybody out there, but hey, where else can you do about 50% and be pretty good, right? And we give them bad time about that all the time. So it's good nature. Yeah. Well, funny enough. It was the weather so What were you saying about the weather guys? So really yeah, and it was a bit unexpected again, just shows the mother nature playing with this playing with this So it wasn't expected that marine layer last as long as it did so by the time it burned off as much later than we expected anticipated so Yeah, it's it's so done our production rate with our aircraft, but That's the thing and not to sound too cliche, but we do improvise adaptive and overcome So we don't weigh our entire plan on one certain aspect and something that that we've But we teach our new operations folks is that you do not Put or develop your plan around aircraft because there are so many variables with that. So it is an important tool It's a very valuable tool, but it's not our only tool and because of that We we have the plan adjustments so that when we can't fly the aircraft such as yesterday We march on we carry on with our mission and we accomplish our mission Can you elaborate So your question is really about kind of the specifics of how when you release a zone It's controlled between two different zones Yeah Sure, I'll let the sheriff's office answer that Yes, in terms of the zones, you know, obviously knowing what zone you're in is important But at the same time like we're there's good. There's a system in place on our end Where we're going to be checking to make sure because obviously having a bunch of people show up at a checkpoint and and all of them, you know Or you know, there's people that could say hey, I'm in that zone There's gonna be a vetting process to make sure that that's that that's the case and that's because we don't want to obviously Send people into an area that that's been evacuated that could impose a threat to Not only the security of that area people are trying to get in there, you know For the sake of looting which you know, hopefully is not the case But also to give people space to be able to work as I mentioned before So there'll be a vetting process at the checkpoints and making sure that that when we when people go back that they're going Back to the right areas All right, just as we close for the media Specifically as you're in and around the fire area, we just ask you be extremely careful It is dangerous in there trees are falling and we just ask please please be careful in there and look up But where you're at we will have another press conference this evening at 6 p.m. Thank you for joining us This concludes the 6 a.m. Press Conference