Wind-driven Cave Fire in mountains above Santa Barbara grows 4,330 acres

Update 11 p.m.

Evacuation warnings have been issued for Santa Barbara residents living below the Cave Fire burn as a storm approaches the area; officials are warning of possible mudslides.

For more information, check out our story » Santa Barbara issues mudslide evacuation warnings as storm approaches Cave Fire burn

Update 4:30 p.m.

The Cave Fire has grown to 4,330 acres, according to Santa Barbara County Fire public information officer Mike Eliason. Containment has increased to 10 percent.

There are no reported structures destroyed nor any injuries, Eliason tweeted early Tuesday evening.

Update, 1 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara has canceled classes for the remainder of the week due to the Cave Fire, according to a letter from UCSB’s Chancellor Henry T. Yang.

The campus is not threatened and remains open and operational, Yang said in the letter.

“Although the campus is safe, we will give staff maximum flexibility to take paid leave if they need it through the Emergency Leave policy,” Yang said in the letter. “I urge administrators and supervisors at all levels to exercise maximum flexibility for staff who are affected by the Cave Fire.”

Classes will resume on Dec. 2, following the Thanksgiving holiday, Yang said.

Update, 11:30 a.m.

The Cave Fire has burned 4,262 acres and remains 0% contained, officials said at a Tuesday morning news conference.

“It’s burning under some of the toughest firefighting conditions in the world,” Los Padres National Forest Service fire chief Jimmy Harris said. “We’re at the end of the dry season and the fuels are some of the driest we have experienced.”

Harris also said that the area hasn’t burned since the Painted Cave Fire in 1990.

“It’s a nightmare spot,” he said, adding that winds played a large part in the difficulties firefighters had in battling the blaze.

“It was quite the firefight,” Santa Barbara County Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Stornetta said. “It was really messy last night. The wind was pushing in every direction.”

Stornetta said firefighters are working to “box this thing in” and reminded everyone that humidities are still low.

“We’re in critical fire weather,” he said. “Last night, at Camino Cielo, winds were up to 45 mph.”

One outbuilding has reportedly been destroyed by fire, but there are no other reports of structure damage, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that, effective at noon, officials would lift the evacuation order for areas west of Patterson Avenue to Fairview Avenue and north of Cathedral Oaks Road, allowing some residents to return home. He cautioned that some people may not have power as a result of a safety measure taken to protect firefighters.

When asked if officials were worried that impending rain in the forecast would cause mudslides, Bertucelli said they have concerns but “with the amount of rain coming, we’re more concerned with small rockslides along Highway 154 at this point.”

Update, 9:30 a.m.

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District has issued an air quality warning “due to elevated levels of smoke from the Cave Fire.”

Original story:

The wind-driven Cave Fire, which broke out in the mountains above Santa Barbara on Monday afternoon, has burned 4,100 acres and is 0% contained, officials said Tuesday morning.

So far, no one has been injured and no homes have been damaged, Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason tweeted.

One or two outbuildings have apparently been destroyed, Capt. Daniel Bertucelli of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said.

Some 600 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, supported by a large fleet of aircraft: 10 air tankers and 9 helicopters, Bertucelli said.

Several homes and other structures were threatened overnight by the flames, particularly in the Cieneguitas Road area, Eliason said.

“Down canyon winds are really pushing it now,” Bertucelli told Noozhawk on Monday night. “It’s a very dynamic situation.”

Highway 154, which closed Monday evening between Highway 246 and Highway 192/Foothill Road, remains closed until further notice, Caltrans said Tuesday morning, cautioning travelers to expect increased holiday traffic on Highway 101.

The blaze started at about 4:15 p.m. along East Camino Cielo Road near Painted Cave Road, on the ridgeline east of Highway 154.

Santa Barbara City College decided to close its campuses and cancel classes Tuesday and Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution.” Many Santa Barbara schools are already closed for the week of Thanksgiving, the Santa Barbara County Office of Education said.

Authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders for areas north of Cathedral Oaks Road between Fairview Avenue in Goleta and Highway 154, and the areas north of Highway 192/Foothill Road between Highway 154 and North Ontare Road in Santa Barbara.

Evacuation warnings were issued for the area between North Ontare Road and Gibraltar Road, north of Highway 192/Foothill Road, as well as the area between Highway 154 and El Sueno Road, between Cathedral Oaks and Calle Real.

About 2,700 parcels and nearly 6,400 people were affected by the evacuation orders, according to Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management interactive map has updated evacuation information.

Flames were burning on both sides of Highway 154, including the area near San Antonio Creek Road and Via Chaparral, and the upper Maria Ygnacio Creek drainage to the west.

Night-flying copters also were brought in from Los Angeles County, Ventura County and the U.S. Forest Service, and more air support was expected in the daylight Tuesday.

An evacuation shelter was opened at the Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Ave., and evacuated residents could take small animals to the Goleta animal shelter at 5473 Overpass Road, county spokeswoman Gina DePinto said.

Large animals, including horses, can be taken to the Earl Warren Showgrounds at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 7:50 AM.