Santa Barbara County

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Firefighters getting the upper hand on the Santa Barbara fire

Photo: Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times Firefighters battling that huge Santa Barbara wildfire are getting some help from the weather today. The winds are calm, temperatures have dropped, the humidity is up, and the fog has rolled into the area. Fire officials at a news conference this morning announced they’re taking advantage of this break and are now going “on the offensive” […]
Friday, May 8, 2009

That Santa Barbara wildfire continues to rampage

Photo: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times As the photo above shows, the Santa Barbara wildfire was pretty scary yesterday; today it’s even more so. Those erratic and strong sundowner winds kicked up last night and the wildfire exploded again, burning more acres, homes, and forcing thousands to grab what they could and evacuate. Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times Acting Santa Barbara City […]
Thursday, May 7, 2009

The battle continues to rage against that Santa Barbara wildfire

Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times Fire crews took advantage of the calmer winds today and aggressively attacked that Santa Barbara wildfire on the ground and from the air. Tonight, the number of acres scorched was up from 13-hundred to 27-hundred. Many homes were saved, but 75 were damaged or destroyed by the flames. Also, more than 13-thousand people have been evacuated. Earlier in the day, we got an update on […]
Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Santa Barbara wildfire roars into a firestorm

Photo: Lawrence K. Ho/ Los Angeles Times Strong winds whipped that wildfire in the foothills of Santa Barbara into a firestorm late today. The powerful winds, known as sundowners, reached 50 miles an hour and higher in some areas. Eight thousand people  were evacuated, at least 500 acres charred, and at least 20 homes have burned to the ground. Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times […]
Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Officials call the Santa Barbara County wildfire an accident

  Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times — A Montecito home is destroyed by last Thursday’s wildfire.   Late today, officials announced last week’s destructive wildfire in Santa Barbara County was caused by a bonfire in the Tea House Garden area above the upscale enclave, Montecito. Some young people reportedly created the bonfire and thought they had put it out before they left. Sundowner winds of 70 […]
Monday, November 17, 2008

Fire crews gain ground on stubborn Southland wildfires

  Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times In the fire-damaged Oakridge Mobile Home Park hundreds of homes were destroyed, but some survived. “We have found no human remains at this point.” That was the conclusion today from a Los Angeles County Coroner official about the search for victims at the fire-ravaged Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar. L.A. County Coroner spokesman Ed […]
Friday, November 14, 2008

Fire and destruction in Santa Barbara County

  Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times A home burns in Montecito last night Today Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County as a massive out-of-control wildfire rages through some wealthy and exclusive neighborhoods. The fire kicked-up last night around 6 p.m. in the Tea House Garden area in the foothills of Montecito. Sundowner winds in the area reached up to […]