Updated: Large structure fire in Santa Barbara grew without alarms
— UPDATE—
Santa Barbara City Fire officials say Sunday’s structure fire on the Riviera started on a lower floor. The cause is unknown.
There had been work done on the site recently but no one was on the property at the time. The homeowner said he had hoped to see the project finished by the end of the year. He was still trying to understand the loss Monday morning but said the damaged area could be removed and the home would still be built.
Fire Inspector Amber Anderson said alarms were not required at the current phase of construction but they would have possibly alerted neighbors to the smoke. A sprinkler system was installed but it’s not clear if it was working.
Below the house is a canyon full of dry brush and trees. Strong off shore winds could have spread the fire, but fortunately it was a calm morning.
—UPDATE—
Santa Barbara City Fire investigators are trying to find the cause and origin of a house fire that started Saturday morning on Las Alturas Road.
Crews responded to a house fire in the 1000 block of Las Alturas Road around 9:30 a.m. The two-story house was under construction with scaffolding making access difficult for firefighters. Fire fully engulfed the house within minutes of crews arriving.
No one was home at the time of the fire, and one firefighter sustained minor injuries due to heat exhaustion. The fire was reported under control at around 10:20 a.m. Investigators are looking into the origin and cause of the fire.
Fire Officials would like to remind people that smoke detectors save lives. In this situation, even though no one was home, a smoke detector could have alerted a neighbor to the fire.
—INITIAL STORY—
Santa Barbara City firefighters battled a structure fire in Santa Barbara on Las Alturas Road Saturday morning.
The fire is reported to have started at 1025 Las Las Alturas Road around 9:30 a.m.
Neighbors say they could smell smoke but due to foggy conditions could not see the smoke. A few minutes later one neighbor said he could see flames going up the side of the house.
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Another neighbor said that the house has been under construction for the last five years and the owners were probably not home.
Firefighters said when they arrived the house was already engulfed in flames. Fire Officials are calling the house a “total loss.”
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This structure fire is near the burn area of the 2008 Tea Fire and the 1977 Sycamore Canyon Fire.
Fire investigators are on scene determining the origin and cause of the fire.
