Although the Gap Fire still hasn’t reached full containment, crews are already getting started on efforts to rehabilitate the scorched landscape.

Complete containment of the blaze, which has burned 9,443 acres in the hills and mountains above Goleta since it began July 1, is expected by Monday evening, according to firefighting officials.

Crews have held the fire at 97 percent containment for several days because a roughly half-mile stretch of rugged terrain between Tecolote and Ellwood canyons is still without reinforced fire line, said Jim Turner, an administrator for the U.S. Forest Service.

The area is “too steep and too ugly,” to build a reinforced line, which means fuels have been burned out and hot spots mopped up for at least 200 feet between the fire and the line, he said.

Fewer than 50 people are assigned to the fire — consisting of two crews and an engine, Turner said. The remaining firefighters are doing patrols and mopping up any smoldering brush they may find, using either shovels to bury the hot fuel or hoses from the engine.

Fire command officials were taking an aerial view of the terrain Wednesday to use infrared imaging in order to see if there is still any heat in the burn area.

Whatever is seen from the air will factor in to whether the fire is actually declared contained Monday, Turner said.

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In the meantime, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team is on site for assessment.

The team is part of a forest service program aimed at protecting deteriorated ecosystems, such as watersheds, from further damage. Once the assessment is complete, a BAER report is created for the fire area, including recommended treatment on National Forest property to help protect downstream land.

In addition to the assessment, crews are also repairing fire lines that were created by bulldozers in places such as West Camino Cielo, and installing barriers to keep off-highway vehicles from driving in the area and causing further disturbance.

“OHV riders like fire lines, so we get out and barrier them,” he said, noting that in some cases officials install posts and cables to block entrances.

Crews are also using the bulldozers that remain on scene to help in the rehab, Turner added, by placing brush back onto bulldozer lines and breaking up the hard packed soil that was created where the heavy equipment was staged.

Depending on what the BAER report finds, officials may let the burn area resprout naturally or if needed the Forest Service could reseed the area with native grasses.

Rehabilitation for the Gap Fire may be different than what occurred after last year’s Zaca Fire because the recent fire did not burn in forest’s designated wilderness area.

When fires burn in the wilderness area, officials must let the land recover naturally.

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santamariatimes.com.

July 24, 2008