Wildfire Near Santa Barbara Gains New Life
A wildfire that has scorched 8,775 acres on a four-day run through bush and brush intensified Wednesday afternoon as winds kicked up a smoky plume over northern Santa Barbara County.
Aircraft dumped water and retardant on flames creeping south toward the San Rafael Wilderness Area, and 1,541 firefighters battled the blaze on the ground.
Eight tankers and five helicopters continued the air assault, dumping water and retardant.
The fire area about 180 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 30 miles north of Santa Barbara was 40% surrounded, with full containment expected by 6 p.m. Sunday.
“There is a lot of fuel in that area of the Los Padres National Forest, with old-growth vegetation that hasn’t burned for more than 75 years,” a spokesman said.
The fire, which was started Sunday afternoon by a spark from a tractor, was 30 minutes away from full containment Monday evening when winds suddenly kicked up to 40 mph and pushed flames beyond fire lines.
Up to 40 homes were in the path of the fire, with flames within a quarter of a mile of the nearest residence.
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