The Alisal Fire has now charred more than 14,500 acres of land in Santa Barbara County.
The fire is burning on the Gaviota Coast. Firefighters have their hands full because there are two fronts, with the fire pushing west and east along the coastline.
About 100 structures are threatened, but so far the only building lost was an old abandoned house. The area is sparsely populated, with scattered ranch and canyon homes. Highway 101 remains closed from Winchester Canyon, just west of Goleta to Highway 1.
There is some good news. Firefighters now have 5% containment, and with the wind finally easing, they’ve been able to ramp up the aerial battle against the blaze with helicopters and air tankers. Nearly 800 firefighters are involved in battling the blaze.
The blaze started Monday afternoon in the Santa Ynez Mountains, with wind pushing the fire down to the coast. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors declared a state of local emergency Tuesday, which sets the stage for additional resources to be made available for firefighting and recovery efforts.
