Firefighters to conduct controlled burn near Orcutt Wednesday

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - People may notice smoke in the area south of Orcutt Wednesday.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is conducting a controlled burn at Righetti Ranch, which is located south of Orcutt between Highway 135 and Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Firefighters plan to burn about 80 acres of brush. It's a follow-up to another 300 acre planned burn that was done in the same area in November 2018.

The fire department says burning will start at 8 a.m. Wednesday and will be done by 6 p.m.

The goal of the burn is to reduce the risk of wildfires, and crews are monitoring weather conditions to try to avoid having smoke drift over homes.

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District set up a portable air quality monitor in Los Alamos to keep track of air quality conditions. To check current conditions, click here.