I feel like I should start with an apology.
A handful of people let me know in no uncertain terms how offended they were that my Dec. 8 column opened with an accounting of Noozhawk’s monstrous week for readership as a result of the Thomas Fire chaos. (If you thought that was unseemly, wait till I tell you about this week. Hold that indignation for a few paragraphs.)
But here’s the thing: The whole point of this weekly column I jokingly call the Best of Bill is to talk about Noozhawk. It started out that way when I first began writing it some nine years ago, and I’ve remained faithful to the format ever since — more than 450 columns later. I take the Top 5 stories that our Google Analytics says you read that week, and I recap them with my own spin.
I apologize if I don’t make that crystal-clear every Friday.
Please understand this is not a news story; I pay professional news reporters to write those. Their obligation is to tell a story accurately, fairly and as thoroughly as circumstances allow, and to keep their opinions out of their reporting. And they do.
As publisher, I have a different role in the community. In this, my opinion column, I can highlight and elaborate on issues from those stories that I know — from our reader analytics — are of keen interest to you. I suspect most of you understand this. It’s not unusual for my column to find itself in the week’s Top 5; it’s highly unusual if it doesn’t make the Top 10.
Noozhawk is a New Media pioneer at a time when journalism is at an uncertain crossroads. In Fossil Media days, the publisher told you what to think and how to vote but rarely revealed anything about the magic tricks. I don’t believe that’s very helpful or productive, and I’m not that interested in telling you what to do anyway. If I were, my first decree would be no more bare feet or dogs in the Montecito Vons.
I do think it’s important, as Noozhawk’s publisher, to help explain what we do and why. The Internet has flattened access to information, which is good and bad, but the more transparent we can make ourselves, the better informed readers you will be — even when you venture beyond Noozhawk. What’s in it for us is that it solidifies our reputation and deepens our relationship with you — a fitting outcome in a community that is built on both, don’t you think?
As I mentioned in a previous column, we’ll be doing much more reader engagement and outreach in 2018, and I’m excited about the opportunities. You should all know by now that I never get tired of talking about Noozhawk.
Speaking of which, there were 294,948 of you reading Noozhawk this past week, according to our Google Analytics, making it the best seven-day period in our company’s 10-year history.
What’s more, our Thomas Fire reporting dominated not just the Top 5, but the Top 25 — and beyond. With the 10-day-old wildfire still raging out of control, Thomas Fire stories occupied the first 28 spots, and 40 out of the Top 50. That’s astonishing.
So far, during the duration of the fire, we’ve had 513,628 readers and 1.03 million pageviews, or stories read — both records for single news events.
As a point of reference, Bishop Diego High School’s CIF football championship came in at No. 29, with 2,961 readers. That may not have made a “normal” week’s Top 5, but a normal week wouldn’t have so much competition. Congratulations to the Cardinals, by the way, and good luck in the state championship on Dec. 16!
All of this is interesting, of course, but the Thomas Fire is far from tamed. In spite of the catastrophic losses piled up by what is now California’s fourth largest wildfire ever, Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito and even Santa Barbara are still very much under threat, with some of Santa Barbara County’s most dangerous wind conditions in the upcoming weekend forecast.
During emergencies such as these, it is imperative that our community have a reliable, accurate and up-to-the-minute source of trusted professional news reporting. You do, thanks to executive editor Tom Bolton, managing editor Giana Magnoli, North County editor Janene Scully, staff writers Brooke Holland and Josh Molina, and contributing writer Ray Ford, who simply is without peer as a wildfire reporter.
Noozhawk is here for you, providing pretty much around-the-clock coverage. I know you appreciate it, but I’m also asking you to put a value on it and make a contribution to Noozhawk to help us continue delivering the local news you want — and need. Even a dollar a week has a huge impact.
We’re grateful to our family of longtime advertisers and sponsors that support our mission, and we wouldn’t be here without them. But we want to do even more. What would you do without us?
Please click here to make an online donation through PayPal, call me at 805.456.7195 to set up recurring billing through a credit card, or checks can be snail-mailed to Noozhawk, P.O. Box 101, Santa Barbara 93102.
Thank you for your readership and your support.
1. Evacuations Expanded to Santa Barbara as Thomas Fire, Now at 230,000 Acres, Marches West
Hours after the Thomas Fire made a surprisingly fast run for the Santa Barbara County border out of Ventura County, authorities ordered mandatory evacuations along the South Coast the night of Dec. 10.
Upward of 30,000 residents were told to pack up and get out of a 16-mile stretch of territory north of Highway 192 between the eastern Carpinteria Valley and Mission Canyon Road above Santa Barbara. South of Highway 192, much of that same area was placed on evacuation standby.
The wildfire, which ignited near Santa Paula on Dec. 4, was burning mainly in the rugged canyons above and behind Carpinteria. Pushed west by moderate santa ana winds, the 173,000-acre blaze had mushroomed to 230,000 acres overnight.
I’m as concerned about public safety and as confident in firefighting professionals as the next guy, but a population equivalent to the City of Goleta is now entering its fifth day of mandatory evacuation with no end in sight. Was it — is it — really necessary to keep that many people out of their homes for that long?
My house in Montecito is barely inside the no-go zone and I know our neighborhood’s wind patterns as well as anyone. I’m not at all convinced my street is in immediate danger, even now with the fire burning a few canyons to the east — or so I say while knocking on wood.
The scope of that declaration is extraordinary, and I have to believe its length is unprecedented. I’ve tried to verify my suspicions, but apparently not even Google tracks such details. If anyone can come up with that information, I’d love to hear it.
2. Santa Barbara County Thomas Fire Evacuation Zone Updates
We’ve got a list of the latest mandatory and voluntary evacuation zones, but little has changed since the night of Dec. 13.
3. Earlier Wildfires May Hold Key to Stopping Giant Thomas Fire
One reason the Thomas Fire is so treacherous as it marches west along the Santa Ynez Mountains is that much of the front slope area has not burned in decades. Up top, that’s a different story.
As our Giana Magnoli reported Dec. 12, the wildfire’s incident management team is counting on the blaze running into the fire footprints from the Jesusita and Tea fires, which raced across the front country in 2009 and 2008, respectively, as well as the Rey and Zaca fires, which sprawled on the north side of the mountains in 2016 and 2007, respectively.
In some cases, crews are lighting backfires to help make it happen.
Santa Barbara County fire Battalion Chief Chris Childers notes that the younger vegetation in the more recently scorched areas won’t burn as hot or as fast as dried-out old chaparral.
4. Incident Commanders Eye Big ‘Firing’ Operation to Stop Thomas Fire
With a wary eye on a troublesome weekend forecast, Thomas Fire incident commanders are preparing a daring contingency plan that would attempt to redirect the flames toward the aforementioned burn areas of previous wildfires where the blaze could be slowed or stopped.
As our Giana Magnoli first reported Dec. 13, the plan calls for a massive firing operation that likely would start east of Gibraltar Road and extend to the fire’s current front, which has now reached upper San Ysidro Canyon above Montecito.
It’s a huge area, and the maneuver is expected to produce quite a lot of ominous flames as well as towering clouds of smoke.
With air tankers and helicopters laying down swaths of retardant, crews have been bulldozing wide fuel breaks and placing thousands of feet of hose line that would enable them to cool the edges of the firing area.
The urgency is a weekend forecast of low humidity and north to northeast winds with possible 35 mph gusts, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kathy Hoxsie in Oxnard. Those conditions are expected as soon as sundown Dec. 15, and could last through Dec. 17.
5. Monday Night Battle Against Thomas Fire Focused on Toro and Romero Canyons
The Thomas Fire spent its second day in Santa Barbara County on Dec. 11 defying efforts to stop its western march. Firefighters tried to get ahead of it at Toro Canyon above western Carpinteria but uncooperative north winds pushed it on to Romero Canyon in Montecito.
At that point, the fire had grown to 231,700 acres and was only 10 percent contained.
Three nights later, the fire entered upper San Ysidro Canyon above Montecito as it expanded to 249,500 acres, or nearly 390 square miles. As of Dec. 14, authorities said containment was 35 percent.
The fire’s cause has not yet been determined but its devastation has been terribly costly. Nearly 1,000 structures have been destroyed, most of them in Ventura County, and two people have died, both in Ventura County.
Authorities say San Diego-based Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson was killed in the line of duty Dec. 14 near Fillmore. The cause of his death is under investigation.
With firefighters and residents lining the roads in tribute and a column of fire trucks following behind, a hearse drove his body to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. A formal procession will accompany him back to San Diego County, authorities say.
Iverson, 32, is survived by his pregnant wife, Ashley, and their 2-year-old daughter, Evie.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for his family. Click here to make an online donation.
Shortly after the Thomas Fire started Dec. 4, Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, was killed in a car crash as she was fleeing the flames.
More than 8,300 fire personnel are battling the blaze, along with 1,108 fire engines, 153 hand crews, 80 bulldozers, 61 water tenders, 32 helicopters and several fixed-wing tankers dropping fire retardant.
» Click here for the latest Thomas Fire information from the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
» Click here to sign up for Noozhawk’s free breaking news text alerts to your cell phone.
» Click here to become a member of our Hawks Club, and help us cover even more of our community.
• • •
Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Montecito Man Arrested in Hit-Run Crash That Severely Injured Pedestrian.
• • •
Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Not much else was growing during California’s prolonged dry spell, but our majestic mountains apparently were: Sierra Nevada Grew an Inch During California Drought.
• • •
Watch It
Navy missed its last-second chance to beat Army for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, but the Midshipmen still know how to play all the angles: Why Aircraft Carriers Have an Angled Runway.
(wdtvlive42 – Archive Footage video)
• • •
How You Can Help Noozhawk
Talk is cheap. Professional news gathering is not. If you like what you’re reading on Noozhawk, please support our work by joining our Hawks Club.
Your contribution helps us continue to provide you with unmatched local news and in-depth reporting on the issues that you care about.
How can you help? It’s easy.
» Join our Hawks Club.
Red-Tailed Hawk, $5 a month; Cooper’s Hawk, $10 a month; Red-Shouldered Hawk, $25 a month; Birds of a Feather, $52 a year.
Checks can be snail-mailed to Noozhawk, P.O. Box 101, Santa Barbara 93102.
» kim.clark@noozhawk.com or market your business, organization, service or event.
» Subscribe to our free daily e-Bulletins.
» Display your Noozhawk pride with a 3-inch-square Noozhawk sticker. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Noozhawk Promotions, P.O. Box 101, Santa Barbara 93102. The free stickers — as well as full-sized bumper stickers and pens — also are available at Noozhawk World Headquarters, 1327-A State St., by the historic Arlington Theatre.
Please note that personal contributions to Noozhawk are not deductible as charitable donations.
Thank you for your support.
— Bill Macfadyen is Noozhawk’s founder and publisher. Contact him at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com, follow him on Twitter: @noozhawk, or click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
