Lake Fire 100% contained; all associated evacuation orders and warnings called off
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – On Jul. 5, the Lake Fire began near Zaca Lake and now has burned 38,664 acres, the third-largest wildfire in California this year.
According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the fire is now 100% contained.
Officials with the Los Padres National Forest direct the public to this information page for the latest on the Lake Fire.
On Friday, Jul. 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shared an update from the frontlines of the fire detailed below:
Post-fire actions are underway as firefighters now repair damage from the fire and suppression efforts. The current goal is to return areas to their pre-fire conditions as much as possible while maintaining the current fire perimeter.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department issued an excessive heat warning Friday morning, Jul. 19. Those high temperatures and shifting winds are forecast through Thursday, Jul. 25, and could have an impact on firefighting efforts.
On Tuesday, Jul. 23, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office canceled all remaining evacuation orders and warnings associated with the Lake Fire effective at 4 p.m.
#LakeFire All remaining Evacuation Orders and Evacuation Warnings for the Lake Fire area are CANCELLED effective Tuesday, July 23 at 4 PM. All roads, trails, and recreational areas within the Los Padres National Forest Fire Area Closure remain closed.
— SB Sheriff's Office (@sbsheriff) July 23, 2024
More than 2,000 people have been evacuated since the fire began shared the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
On Wednesday, Jul. 17, the Los Padres National Forest increased the area closed within the national park and that closure will currently remain in effect until Aug. 18, 2024. Those closures remain in effect despite the cancellation of all evacuation orders and warnings Tuesday, Jul. 23.
The interactive map below from the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management shows the now-canceled evacuations (highlighted in light green) and the extended national forest closures (highlighted in diagonal green lines).
The Red Cross set up an evacuation shelter for those displaced at the Solvang Veterans Memorial at 1745 Mission Drive, providing shelter, water, and food for evacuees.
For the latest information about air quality across Santa Barbara County, visit the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District webpage.
On Friday, Jul. 12th, Santa Barbara County proclaimed a local state of emergency due to the ongoing risk the fire poses.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department shared that sandwich boards have been set up in the Santa Ynez Valley to inform the public of the latest information.
The Lake Fire originally started Jul. 5th around 3:45 p.m. in the area of Zaca Lake shared the Los Padres National Forest.
On Tuesday, Jul. 9, the unified response to the fire shared that significant fire activity happened overnight, largely on the southeast flank of the fire, and the emphasis of fire crews was to prevent the spread of flames south toward more populated areas.
The resulting smoke from that expansion overnight caused a notable expansion of evacuation orders and warnings issued that Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office issued a fire weather watch in effect through the night of Tuesday, Jun. 9 that created conditions for the expanding fire.
⚠️Fire Weather Watch⚠️ in effect Tuesday afternoon through night for the Santa Barbara County mountains due to a combination of gusty winds, hot and dry conditions, and dry vegetation. Take care with fire 🔥ignition sources. Some areas may see smoke from nearby fires. #LakeFire pic.twitter.com/4HcVfux4T9
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) July 8, 2024
The Lake Fire had burned 28,817 acres as of Tuesday, Jul. 9 and the associated large plumes of smoke could be seen across southern Santa Barbara County creating a distinctive orange hue seen below.
Several roads were closed due to the fire including Foxen Canyon Road from Alisos Canyon Road to Zaca Station Road. Happy Canyon Road was also been closed at the forest boundary, according to the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department.
Despite those closures, local highways, including Highway 154, remain open explained the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Within hours of the fire starting, Zaca Lake Resort was evacuated as part of the response explained the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The tweet below from the National Weather Service's Los Angeles station details the weather conditions in the area on the Friday afternoon when the fire first broke out.
at 440 pm, automated weather stations near the #LakeFire in Santa Barbara county are showing temperatures of 95-100 degrees, RH around 20%, and west winds 6-8 mph with gusts to 15 mph. #SBAWeather #cawx
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) July 6, 2024
This is an evolving emergency fire response and more information will be added to this article as it becomes available.
