Smoke turned the sun to a red planet and ashes rained from the sky this week as the Zaca fire grew to over 223,000 acres, the second largest wildfire in California’s history. As it began heading toward Lockwood Valley, firefighters called it "Big Dog," but mountain residents remembering last year’s Day fire began to call this the "Déjà Vu fire," reports Frazier resident Mercedes Johnson.

By Tuesday evening firefighters said they had achieved 79 percent containment and—odd as it sounds—firefighters predict September 7 will mark the end of the fire’s spread.

Highway 33 between Wheeler Gorge and Ventucopa will be closed to all traffic until Friday, except for residents.

On Tuesday, firefighters continued a backfiring operation along the Sierra Madre Ridge to contain the northern progress of the fire. Eight air tankers dropped retardant to slow its progress. On the northeast and east perimeter, the fire has moved to the boundary of the Dick Smith Wilderness near Highway 33. Firefighters continued a backfire operation from Cuyama Peak Road in Dry Canyon down Brubaker Canyon to Highway 33. On the east perimeter, firefighters have successfully completed the backfire operation from Highway 33 through the switchbacks to Ozena and continue to monitor the area for spot fires. On the southeast perimeter, hand crews constructed fireline directly next to the fire’s edge northeast of Agua Caliente Springs with good progress.

Zaca had cost $90.2 milion as of Tuesday evening.

–Report by Patric Hedlund

Read more about the Zaca fire information meeting in "Residents and Fire Officials Meet Halfway"

This is part of the August 24, 2007 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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