Crews continue to water smoldering mulch after fire at Tajiguas Landfill

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Public Works crews will be on scene on Friday watering the smoldering material left over from a mulch fire at the Tajiguas Landfill that broke out Thursday night, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department.

The fire started around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday when a large mulch pile caught fire and spread to nearby vegetation.

Last night, our employees and a contractor responded to the #tajiguasfire with @sbcfire located at our Compost Management Unit. We will turn and water the smoldering material until it is out. One machine that screens trash out of the compost was damaged. pic.twitter.com/XbcCLlZlFQ

— COSB Public Works (@COSBPublicWorks) May 13, 2022

About a half-acre of mulch and 1.5 acres of nearby brush had burned as of Thursday night, according to the fire department.

While no homes were threatened, the Public Works Department said that one of the machines at the landfill that screens trash out of the compost was damaged.