Natural oil-shale fire burning at beach near Santa Barbara

A small, naturally occurring oil-shale fire was burning Monday in a hillside about a mile west of Arroyo Burro Beach near Santa Barbara.

The fire does not present a hazard to the public, but the area was flagged off as a safety precaution, said Mike Eliason, a Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman. Fire personnel responded to the scene.

The smoldering section hillside is about 10 feet from the beach. Eliason said oil shale trapped in rock can occasionally become heated and combust in a naturally occurring process when exposed to oxygen.

“It’s going to go its natural course, and it will eventually stop,” Eliason said.

The winds in the area were creating a constant influx of oxygen on the smoldering oil shales, which is causing friction, Eliason said.

“(It’s) much like blowing two sticks while trying to start a camp fire,” he said.

Eliason said the smell in the surrounding area is burnt hydrocarbons.

“This geological event occurs every so often in the area,” Eliason added.

Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Natural oil-shale fire burning at beach near Santa Barbara."