Highway 101 closes as wind-whipped fire burns near Refugio State Beach
Update 10:30 p.m.:
As of 10:30 p.m., the blaze had blackened an estimated 3,700 acres, according to Capt. Nikki Stevens of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The area of greatest concern, Stevens said, is Refugio Canyon, which has heavy vegetation in the upper reaches, along with a number of structures.
She added that the burn scar from “the Sherpa Fiire of 2017 is going to give us a good buffer from the fire continuing to go to the east.”
Highway 101 was closed between Highway 1, north of the Gaviota Tunnel, and Winchester Canyon Road in the western Goleta Valley, and Caltrans said there was no estimate of when it would reopen.
One structure near Calle Real was destroyed by the flames, Stevens said.
Evacuation orders were extended to include the area between El Capitan Beach State Park and West Camino Cielo Road.
Late Monday evening, UC Santa Barbara notified students that school officials were watching the fire closely, but that at that time it presented no threat to the campus.
Original story:
Highway 101 was closed and evacuations were ordered Monday afternoon as firefighters responded to a vegetation fire burning on a remote ridge above the Santa Ynez Valley and the Gaviota Coast.
Windy conditions were hampering efforts to battle the blaze from above.
According to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick, Highway 101 was closed between Highway 1 and Winchester Canyon Road in both directions because the fire was approaching the highway.
Shortly before 3 p.m., personnel from several Santa Barbara County Fire Department stations, along with Los Padres National Forest crews, were dispatched to the incident, dubbed the Alisal Fire, due north of Tajiguas Canyon, between Alisal and Refugio roads.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for the area of Arroyo Hondo Canyon and Refugio Canyon west of Goleta, and Refugio State Beach, according to the Office of Emergency Management. Everyone in the affected areas is asked to leave immediately.
At about 4:30 p.m., the evacuation order was updated to include Refugio Canyon.
A temporary evacuation point has been established at the Dos Pueblos High School upper parking lot, 7266 Alameda Ave., authorities said late Monday afternoon
Just before 5:30 p.m., firefighters reported extreme fire behavior as the flames had reached Highway 101 and jumped across the freeway.
Officials were preparing to close Highway 101 in both directions in the area and notify the railroad about the incident.
As they initially responded to the hard-to-reach incident, crews were attempting to access the wildfire, which was near the Reagan Rancho del Cielo, from Refugio Road on the South Coast or from Alisal in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The fire had a fast rate of spread and at 4:15 p.m. was estimated at between 500 to 1,000 acres, according to emergency radio traffic. It was burning mainly in Los Padres National Forest.
As of 4:45 p.m., flames had burned into the upper reaches of the Baron Ranch and Arroyo Quemada, and were moving toward Tajiguas Canyon.
The fire broke out as windy and gusty conditions were blowing through Santa Barbara County on Monday. Winds from the northwest were blowing at 20 to 30 mph with higher gusts, and gusts up to 60 mph were forecast for Monday afternoon and evening.
“Winds up there obviously are the biggest concern both because they could ground the tankers and push that fire,” said Andrew Madson, spokesman for the Los Padres National Forest.
The incident command post for the wildfire was established near Refugio State Beach.
Firefighting crews also were assigned to protect structures at the Tajiguas Landfill as flames advanced Monday.
Five air tankers, helicopters and air attack were dispatched to assist firefighters on the ground, but turbulence above the fire led to the early release of aircraft still fully loaded with retardant, according to emergency traffic.
Bulldozer operators also responded to assist on the incident.
Crews from other local fire agencies — including the city of Santa Barbara and the Montecito Fire Protection District — also were dispatched to the fire.
While large blazes have occurred nearby in, the area burning Monday doesn’t have a lot of fire history over the past six decades, Madson said.
“There’s definitely a lot of dry fuels that are found in this area,” Madson added.
Santa Barbara County Animal Service was activated so residents can call 805-681-4332 for large animal evacuation assistance. Livestock may be evacuated to the Earl Warren Showgrounds, authorities said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation on Monday.
Northwest winds were gusting to around 40 mph Monday afternoon, with humidity around 30% and temperatures around 65, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a forecast specifically for the Alisal Fire area.
Strong sundowner winds were forecast for Monday evening, with the strongest gusts expected through canyons and over hills, the NWS reported.
Winds were expected to weaken through Tuesday night before picking up again Wednesday, according to the NWS.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 6:12 PM.
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