The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County, California’s largest so far this year, has grown to 37,742 acres, but firefighters have worked to contain the blaze around the Santa Ynez and Los Olivos area where structures were threatened.
Capt. Scott Safechuck, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said Saturday morning that more than 3,400 personnel were working around the clock to extinguish the blaze, which was nearly 20 percent contained as of Saturday morning.
Crew members made a “visible difference” on the south side of the fire, where flames previously could be seen from Santa Ynez and the Lake Cachuma area, Safechuck said.
Despite unusually high temperatures last week that have heightened the fire threat, firefighters made some progress overnight through controlled burns of dry vegetation and a water-dropping helicopter. Those coordinated efforts have “really been successful for us, eliminating a lot of the threat on the south side,” Safechuck said.
“It’s really good for community safety because that’s where a lot of structures were at risk,” he said. “We’re making huge strides in that area.”
More than two dozen helicopters were dispatched to the fire scene Friday, Safechuck said.
“We have significant air support here that is playing a critical role in conjunction with ground resources to fight this fire,” he said.
The fire is a little more difficult to fight in the backcountry, where there is more wilderness and difficult terrain to navigate. Firefighters wrapped structures in a foil-like material to protect them from the flames.
The fire broke out on July 5, but the cause is still under investigation.
An evacuation warning has been upgraded to an order for areas of KP Ranch, west of Alisos Road, according to a Cal Fire report released Friday afternoon, which includes parts of Estelle Vineyard Drive, Santa Agueda Creek and Brinkerhoff Avenue.
Other areas under evacuation order include:
- The area east of La Brea Creek and Forest Road 10N06, south of the Los Padres National Forest boundary and north of the Sisquoc River.
- Woodstock (areas north of Calzada Avenue, east of East Oak Trail Road, west of Happy Canyon, and south of the Sisquoc River).
- Goat Rock Areas (Goat Rock area, east of Figueroa Creek, north of the US Forest Service entrance at Happy Canyon Road and south of Cachuma Mountain).
- Parts of the Figueroa Mountain area: south of Tunnel House at Sisquoc River, east of Figueroa Creek, north of the south end of Cachuma Mountain, and west of areas of the Los Padres National Forest.
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All areas from Figueroa Mountain Road to Junction Camp (including Tunnel Road) to Chamberlin Ranch and all areas from Zaca Lake Road to Foxen Canyon Road north to the Sisquoc River.
Evacuation warnings, which mean people should be prepared to leave but are not subject to a mandate, have been issued for the following areas:
- Area east of Kelly Canyon, north of the Sisquoc River, west of La Brea Creek and Forest Road 10N06, and south of the Los Padres National Forest.
- Area beginning at the south end of Cachuma Creek, northeast across Santa Cruz Creek to Santa Cruz Peak, west to Grand Spring and to the northern part of Cachuma Creek.
- Area east and north of Alisos Road (L-shaped road), west of Cachuma Creek, and south of the US Forest Service entrance at Happy Canyon Road.
- Area east of Highway 154, north of Armour Ranch Road/Secretariate Street, west of Alisos Road, and south of the Woodstock and KP Ranch areas.
- Areas north of Zaca Creek Road to Rancho Sisquoc and south of the Sisquoc River.
- Area east of Figueroa Mountain Road, north of Highway 154, west of Calzada Avenue/West Oak Trail Road and south of Woodstock Road.
Highway 154 is not under an evacuation warning and remains open, according to Cal Fire.
Safechuck said a new monsoon-like weather pattern hitting the region could bring dry lightning to the area, which could spark new fires.
California’s fire season is already off to an unprecedented start, with the state battling extreme weather conditions, including extreme heat. More than 3,600 fires have been reported so far this year, and 92,000 acres have burned. One death has been recorded so far, after authorities said human remains were found in a structure that burned Monday during the Mina Fire near Covelo.
