Evacuation warnings canceled, Refugio Fire held at 86 acres
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — Evacuation warnings issued for the Refugio Fire have been cancelled Friday night, as forward progress of the fire has been stopped, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
UPDATE
Evacuation warnings issued for the areas of Refugio Road and Venadito Canyon Road were cancelled just before 7:00 p.m.
"Residents should take caution if returning home as emergency personnel continue working in the area," said the Santa Barbara County OEM. "Remain vigilant of changing conditions."
At approximately 6:12 p.m., the Refugio Fire's forward progress was stopped, according to the US Forest Service. The fire was held at 86 acres and is now 85% contained as of Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters continued mop up duties and patrolled for smoke spots. Winds gusted up to 50 mph.
USFS says, three crews, eight engines, one dozer, and one water tender remain attached to the incident.
"It has been remaining in that same footprint for the last four and a half hours," said Los Padres National Forest Spokesperson Flemming Bertelsen (at 11 a.m. Friday). "As long as these winds hold and we don't see anything swirling up and gusting beyond 20 miles an hour you can expect to see more of the same."
Structures in the sprawling ranch land have been assessed for protection, but none have been damaged or destroyed.
Fire crews on the scene are being supported by water drops from helicopters that are doing quick round robbins from a nearby water source.
Agencies on the scene include: Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara County Fire Dept., Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire and other mutual aid resources.
Susie Tautrim is on the Orella ranch near the fire and hopes the fire crews stay well after the smoke goes away. She says the winds can be very surprising.
"And as it comes around it will pick up the hot air from the valley and then come up the mountains and then whoosh down to then rush to the ocean it can have a hard wind. Last night it was a hard wind."
Looking down at firefighters on standby she said, "We hope they do stay to see what is going to happen."
Prior Information/Original Post:
Firefighters are responding to a vegetation fire in Refugio Canyon that began late Thursday. The fire grew overnight and currently sits at 86 acres.
Santa Barbara County Fire crews were dispatched at 11:13 p.m. Thursday night.
An evacuation warning is in effect for the 1300-1500 block of Refugio Road as well as Venadito Canyon Road. Santa Barbara County Fire says structures are being threatened by the blaze.
The Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services reported that the Earl Warren Showgrounds at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara was being used as a large animal evacuation shelter, but now it has been closed.
If you need animal evacuation information, call 1-805-698-0212.
We'll update this article as more information comes into our newsroom.
