Firefighters had a rough time overnight with a brush fire in Santa Barbara County exploding to some 1200 acres overnight, but they are getting a break this morning.
After dealing with 50 mile an hour winds overnight, there’s almost no wind this morning on the lines of the Sherpa Fire. The fire started just 3:30 p.m. off of Refugio Road near Gaviota, on the ocean side of the mountains. The fire grew quickly, with flames and a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.
Air drops by helicopters, airplanes, and a giant converted DC-10 jetliner slowed the spread of the flames, but because of the rugged terrain, firefighters were unable to get in to build fire lines. When the aircraft were grounded by darkness, and the wind picked up, the fire exploded in size.
The good news is no structures have been reported damaged in the sparsely populated area, Mandatory evacuation orders issued for Refugio Canyon, Venadito Canyon, and Las Flores Canyon, as well as for coastal campgrounds in the area remain in effect. Highway 101 was closed from Goleta to Buellton during the overnight hours, but reopened during the 7 a.m. hour today.
