I'm doing some weather research and am looking for the dates of the Las Pilitas Fire in SLO County in July 1985. Google seems to know the month and year, but I haven't found the dates, nor has local CalFire been of any help.
If anyone has those dates at hand, or can point me in a better direction, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!
Chris
The fire started on Monday July 1 near Santa Margarita Lake, and was naturally called the Santa Margarita Lake Fire. On 7/4 it was renamed the Las Pilitas fire. It was competing for resources with a slew of other fires in the central and south state, especially the Wheeler fire in Ventura County which was burning from Ojai to Carpinteria, the Lexington Fire near Los Gatos in Santa Cruz & Santa Clara Cos, a 63-home-burner in the Normal Heights area of San Diego, and an arson-caused urban wildfire in Baldwin Hills in the City of LA which destroyed 48 homes and killed three people.
On July 6, the weather had improved with higher humidities, and the Las Pilitas fire was declared 40% contained, with full containment expected on Sunday the 7th. However, early on the morning of July 8th, temps increased and winds whipped up dramatically, and the fire was bearing down on the eastern outskirts of the City of SLO, threatening the University, and got within a half mile of the SLO General Hospital. Resources were rushed in, including 80 companies from LAFD, and the fire was stopped before getting into the city proper. It was declared contained on July 11th, and under control on the 15th. It burned about 75,000 acres, and destroyed 24 buildings and 5 vehicles.
There had been another fire "between San Luis Obispo and Camp San Luis Obispo" on June 29th & 30th, but it appears it was extinguished after burning about 250 acres an wasn't related to the Las Pilitas incident.
Most of this info is gleaned from numerous articles in the L.A. Times of 1985.
