Santa Barbara, California, Fire: Evacuation Orders Expanded As Blaze Spreads To 3,100 Acres

Evacuation orders were expanded as a cave fire, started Monday, burned over 3,100 acres of land in the mountainside area near E. Camino Cielo and Painted Cave in Santa Barbara, California.

The fire started at about 4.15 p.m. local time (7.15 p.m EST) and was reportedly moving down the hill.

According to initial reports, Highway 154 was closed on both sides due to the fire. It was later expanded to Highway 154 at Highway 246, at Highway 192, till the area north of Foothill Road and Ontare Road to Gibraltar Road. The evacuations began at the Fairview and Ontare East to Gibraltar.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s public information officer, Capt. Daniel Bertucelli, termed the fire to be a “super dynamic situation”. He added that the flames were burning from the top down to the south toward Cathedral Oaks.

Capt. Bertucelli added that the winds, blowing at about 40 mph, were influencing the flames at the top of the mountains. The winds were further expected to increase at higher altitudes to up to 65 mph.

Firefighters worked to put the fire out in the Upper San Antonio Creek, Via Chapparal and Cieneguitas area in an attempt to avoid structural damages in the area. Capt. Bertucelli said there was no damage to the structures in the area.

He said, “We’re going to fight the fire through the night, and tomorrow when the sun comes up, we’ll get a better understanding of what sort of damage we have”.