House Fire in Los Olivos: No Injuries, Guest House Red-Tagged
LOS OLIVOS, Calif. -- A house fire broke out early Friday morning in Los Olivos, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded swiftly, arriving on the scene shortly after 7:20 a.m. to find a guest house with external flames.
Firefighters immediately took action to control the blaze and was put out within an hour. Santa Barbara County Fire Department's Public Information Officer, Karen Cruz-Orduna, crews arrived and they discovered a small structure with flames. “Upon arrival, they noticed that the small structure, otherwise known as a guest house, was in flames exterior early,” said Cruz-Orduna.
The good news is that there were no injuries. Cruz-Orduna added that while a person was inside the guest house at the time of the fire, they were able to evacuate safely. However, the damage rendered the guest house uninhabitable, and it was “red-tagged” by fire officials. “They cannot live in this household as it is not habitable,” said Cruz-Orduna.
Fire officials are urging homeowners to take necessary precautions, especially when it comes to fire safety. Cruz-Orduna emphasized the importance of having working smoke detectors in every home. “It’s very important for homeowners or residents living in a household to have their smoke detectors up to date. Rotating your batteries twice a year or every six months, and remembering that smoke detectors generally expire every ten years,” she advised.
A close friend and neighbor of the homeowners called the family. Tom Juarez said the owners were out of town. Juarez said it's typically a neighborhood with very little first responders needed. “Other than the big fire that we had, the Lake Fire that we had, it's pretty quiet here.”
As of now, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department continues to monitor the situation.
