Brush fire quickly extinguished on train tracks off HWY 101 in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara City firefighters responded to a vegetation fire that popped up off Highway 101 near Lower State Street Friday night.

The call first went out around 9:03 p.m. Multiple engines responded to flames between the train tracks and the southbound lanes of the freeway at 200 West Montecito Street.

No people were found in the immediate area.

“Of course, our main priority is life first and then property, so we made sure there was no exposure in the area and nobody in the area of the actual incident,” said City of Santa Barbara Fire Inspector Ryan DiGuilio.

Trains were stopped temporarily while firefighters cleared the area. Crews reported finding a lot of debris and trash on the tracks. They said there have been a high number of fires springing up along the tracks as of late.

According to CHP, traffic along the freeway was not impacted by the fire. Train traffic has also resumed.