Firefighters knock down vegetation fire in Santa Ynez, evacuations lifted

SANTA YNEZ, Calif. - Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to reports of a vegetation fire at the 1800 block of View Drive in Santa Ynez.

The call came in around 3:20 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

Santa Barbara County Fire said the fire has burned a total of 45 acres of grass.

However, the fire was reported as knocked down by ground and aircrews at 4:30 p.m. SBC Fire said the burn was 100% contained as of about 5:30 p.m.

Firefighters said that initially there was a threat to nearby structures and animals, but that threat has now been cleared.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ordered residents in the area of View Drive and Baseline Avenue to evacuate immediately around 3:50 p.m. The Humane Society was assisting with large animal evacuation.

The mandatory evacuation was lifted at 4:45 p.m.

CHP reported that there is a downed power line and fire in the area of View Drive. A caller told CHP that the power line caused the fire, however, the cause is still under investigation by emergency personnel.

PG&E responded to the downed line and said, as of 4:45 p.m., 436 buildings in Santa Ynez are experiencing a power outage. The outage started around 3:12 p.m. At this time, there is no estimation for when power will be restored, however, PG&E said personnel on-site will continue to work until all power is safely restored.

This is a developing story. We will update as more information becomes available.