Thomas Fire spreads to Santa Barbara County as Gov. Jerry Brown tours devastation

Gov. Jerry Brown toured areas of Ventura County affected by the Thomas Fire on Saturday, and emphasized the state commitment to battling the six-day-old blaze that has charred more than 148,000 acres.

“It is a horror, and it is a horror we want to minimize,” Brown said at a press conference after the tour.

The governor’s visit came as the fire continued to burn fiercely on several fronts, including north of Highway 150 near Lake Casitas, and in the Rose Valley area above Highway 33 north of Ojai.

It also coincided with the news, released about 3 p.m., that the blaze had burned into Santa Barbara County.

“The fire has entered Santa Barbara County — as expected — in the area up near Divide Peak, well north of the City of Carpinteria,” the Santa Barbara County Fire Department announced in a Tweet.

“It is moving in a westerly direction. Incident commanders are not concerned. This behavior was predicted and expected. The situation is being closely monitored by incident commanders and field observers.

“As with any fire, contingency plans are always thought of and in place. Any future responses are triggered when situations warrant due to expected fire behavior.”

A fleet of aircraft — including at least two Very Large Air Tankers, or VLATs — continued to pound the fire with drops of retardant and water, while bulldozers and hand crews on the ground were constructing primary and contingency containment lines.

On Saturday morning, residents were allowed into the Shepherd Mesa and Gobernador Canyon area at the east end of the Carpinteria Valley after the mandatory evacuation order for the area was changed to a voluntary evacuation.

All areas south of Highway 192, including the city of Carpinteria, are no longer under any evacuation status, officials said.

A voluntary evacuation, or warning, area has been expanded west, and now stretches from north of Highway 192 to East Camino Cielo, east of Toro Canyon Road to the county line.

The Rincon Point area remains in a mandatory evacuation order, officials said.

Also, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department issued new mandatory evacuation orders Saturday for the area from Rancho Matilija west to Lake Casitas. This includes Highway 150, (Casitas Pass Road) west to the Santa Barbara County line.

Late Saturday afternoon, Los Padres National Forest officials announced the closure of the Ojai, Santa Barbara and Mt. Pinos ranger districts.

“We are experiencing unprecedented conditions and fire behavior for this time of year,” District Ranger Pancho Smith said. “Our top priority is the safety of the public, adjacent communities, and our firefighters.”

The boundary of the closure area begins at the intersection of Highway 154 and the boundary of the forest, just north of East Camino Cielo Road, then continues northeast along the boundary of the San Rafael and Dick Smith Wilderness Areas. The closure then continues east, south and west along the forest boundary back to the starting point.

Forest Service law enforcement officers will strictly enforce the closure order, which carries a penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail.

Also, Santa Barbara Unified School District officials announced that all of its schools would be closed again on Monday, including its after-school programs.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Thomas Fire spreads to Santa Barbara County as Gov. Jerry Brown tours devastation."