West Coast Fire Update

West Coast Fire

THE FAST AND STUBBORN TEA FIRE in Santa Barbara County is now being aggressively attacked and the 2,235 firefighters on the job have it 40% contained at midday.

The weather largely cooperated last night with reduced winds allowing the crews to set up a fire line. So far, 111 homes have been lost with 9 more damaged. But that is only an estimate until they can get in the area for a more detailed review of the damaged area. Approximately 5,400 homes in Montecito have been evacuated.

“We’re cautiously optimistic that wind conditions will remain cooperative today,” said Andrew Burmond, a spokesman with the city of Santa Barbara. This is an urban fire, and containment is a tricky thing,” Burmond said, noting that fire lines are more difficult to build in an urban environment than in a wildland blaze.

According to the Lompoc Record, mandatory evacuations remain in effect for much of Montecito and parts of the city of Santa Barbara, and Cal Fire officials, who are now in charge of fighting the blaze, say some 1,500 residences remain potentially in harm’s way.

The AP has this video report:

At least 13 people were injured in Montecito. A 98-year-old man with multiple medical problems died after being evacuated, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said. At least three people were treated for burn injuries.

This is not the first time that Montecito has suffered from wildfire. They had a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.