Potential for More Fires in Central Coast Have Firefighters on High Alert

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Santa Barbara County.

“It’s a combination of high winds are predicted, low relative humidity and high temperatures and of course so that’s a recipe for new fire starts or your fire spreads,” said Captain Dave Zaniboni, public information officer for Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Firefighters are on high alert. They’re working to contain more of the Rey Fire, but are aware other fires can spark at any time.

“The big concern here is the Rey Fire is still not fully contained. There are still many hotspots within the interior so that fire is really going to be tested in the next couple days,” said Zaniboni.

A small roadside fire ignited by the Mariposa Reina offramp was quickly extinguished by Santa Barbara County Firefighters on Monday morning.

Zaniboni says the department is prepared for the worst and there are more than a thousand firefighters nearby who can respond if another wildfire sparks.