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Land recovery efforts underway in wake of Santa Barbara County's massive Lake Fire

The Lake Fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest in July.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department
The Lake Fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest in July.

The blazed burned more than 38,000 acres of land over the summer in the Los Padres National Forest.

Work is underway to repair some of the damage caused to the Los Padres National Forest by firefighters battling a massive wildfire over the summer.

The Lake Fire started July 5, and burned more than 38,000 acres of land during a month-long period northeast of the Santa Ynez Valley. It forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. Four structures were destroyed.

Crews will be using bulldozers, excavators, and water tenders to repair land in the Los Padres National Forest which was damaged by crews building fire lines to stop the inferno.

The initial focus will be in the Colson, Buckhorn Ridge, and Pine Canyon areas. Crews will then shift to the Figueroa, School House, Manzana, and Catway areas. The work is expected to take four to six weeks. The cause of the Lake Fire is still under investigation.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.