Structure fire spreads to vegetation, burns at least 6 acres in Cuyama Valley

Firefighters from at least four counties were attacking a structure fire that spread to the nearby vegetation and grew to 6 acres in the Cuyama Valley.

At 2:16 p.m., crews from the Santa Barbara County, Kern County, and Ventura County fire departments along with Cal Fire from San Luis Obispo County were dispatched to the incident in the 600 block of Ballinger Canyon, according to Capt. Scott Safechuck.

A single-family home at Songdog Ranch was fully involved in fire and the flames spread to the nearby brush, Safechuck said.

Flames from the Dog Fire were moving at a moderate rate, he said.

Aircraft from the Santa Maria Public Airport and Porterville Municipal Airport plus Ventura County were among the resources involved in the firefighting effort.

Crews had stopped the fire’s forward progress by 3:30 p.m. and released air tankers, Safechuck added.

Los Padres National Forest firefighters also were en route to the scene to help.

Firefighters were expected to remain at the site to perform containment and mop-up chores.

This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 3:36 PM.