Evacuation ordered for most of Alisal Fire burn area as powerful storm approaches
An evacuation order has been issued for most of the Alisal Fire burn area ahead of the incoming storm, Santa Barbara County emergency officials said Saturday night.
The Sheriff’s Department issued the evacuation order to be effective at noon Sunday. County officials previously had issued a warning that evacuations might need to take place.
The order stems from a powerful storm set to arrive Sunday night and continue through Monday morning with the potential to produce a debris flow in the area affected by the Alisal Fire.
Areas in and around the Alisal Fire burn scar affected by the evacuation order are: west of Las Flores Canyon, east of Mariposa Reina, south of West Camino Cielo and down to the ocean.
The Alisal Fire sparked on the afternoon of Oct. 11 in the Santa Ynez Mountains with winds pushing flames down to the ocean within hours, prompting the closure of Highway 101 for several days.
As of Saturday, the Alisal Fire stood at 97% containment with about 16,962 acres burned. A total of 289 personnel remained assigned to the incident.
Santa Barbara County, in partnership with the National Weather Service, continues to closely monitor the incoming storm, expected to be unusually intense for an early season rainfall.
“The first major storm system of the season will move through the area late Sunday night through Monday and will bring widespread rain, gusty winds, dangerous seas and high surf,” the National Weather Service said. “There is also the potential for moderate to heavy rain, roadway flooding, and possible debris flows in recent burn areas.”
County officials are working closely with the U.S. Forest Service Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team, the CAL Fire Watershed Emergency Response Team (WERT) and local agencies to further assess the potential risks for debris flows.
Residents should plan to evacuate the area by noon Sunday, county officials said.
An evacuation center will be opened Sunday — the exact time will be determined — at the Santa Barbara City College Wake Center, 300 N. Turnpike Road in Santa Barbara.
For animal evacuation assistance, call the county Animal Services hotline at 805.681.4332.
After normal business hours, call the sheriff’s non-emergency dispatch line at 805.683.2724 and ask to speak with an on-call animal control officer.
More information about preparing for the storm, evacuations and signing up for alerts is available at ReadySBC.org.
An interactive map showing the latest evacuation zones is online here.
Click here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
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Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.