Residents Evacuate After Morning Fire Threatens Santa Barbara Apartment Complex

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It was a startling knock at the door for many residents of an apartment complex just after midnight in Santa Barbara when a fire was burning behind their building.

Santa Barbara City firefighters extinguished the vegetation fire along the train tracks just off Rancheria Street while a rapid response by multiple police officers assisted evacuated residents.

The flames were threatening to catch the multi-story occupied building on fire.

911 calls came in at 12:24 a.m. Bolt cutters were used to open a fence for access. The structure was not damaged, and everyone got out safely.

There was some minor damage to the railroad ties nearby. There are homeless camps in the area and one resident said it was the second fire around there in the last month.

The cause remains under investigation.

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