| Zaca Fire | |
|---|---|
| Part of the2007 California wildfires | |
 An active flame front of the fire | |
| Date(s) |
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| Location | |
| Coordinates | 34°42′57″N119°46′58″W / 34.7159°N 119.7828°W /34.7159; -119.7828 |
| Statistics[1] | |
| Burned area | 240,207 acres (972 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 43 |
| Structures destroyed | 1 |
| Damage | $118.3 million (2017 USD) |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Sparks from a grinding machine on private property |
| Map | |
  The location of the Zaca Fire in Southern California. | |
TheZaca Fire was a very largewildfire in theSan Rafael Mountains, northeast of theSanta Ynez Valley inSanta Barbara County,California. It was the single largest wildfire of the2007 California wildfire season. The fire started on July 4, 2007, and by August 31, it had burned over 240,207 acres (972.083 km2), making it California's second largest fire inrecorded history at that time after theCedar Fire of 2003.[2][3] As of 2024, it is California's 13th-largest recorded fire in modern history.[4] The fire was contained on September 4, 2007,[5] with the fire being brought under control on October 29, 2007.[6]
On July 4, 2007, at 10:53 a.m.PDT, the Zaca Fire started as a result of sparks from a grinding machine at the Zaca Lake private corporate retreat, which was being used by a Zaca Lake Retreat Employee to repair a water pipe.[3][7][1] It spread to a size of 240,207 acres (972.08 km2) in August.[2][8] By August 12, progress was being made on the fire through the combined efforts of firefighters and aircraft. Firefighters were able to turn the direction of the fire away from the Paradise Road community.[9]
The Zaca Fire neared containment on September 2.[5] On September 4, 2007, the fire had cost $117 million to fight, and was 100% contained.[1] Hotspots within the fire perimeter continued to burn for over another month, until the Zaca Fire was fully brought under control on October 29, 2007.[6] Of the 43 non-fatal injuries, 2 occurred when a helicopter assigned to the incident crashed.[10]
The fire had primarily burned away from populated areas in extremely steep and rugged areas of theSan Rafael Mountains in theLos Padres National Forest and theSanta Ynez River Recreation Area.[2] It only destroyed one Forest Service outbuilding. Its impacts on the environment and area water resources are not yet fully known.[11] Many trails and campgrounds in theDick Smith Wilderness were destroyed. Since then, a number of them have been rebuilt.[citation needed]
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