The two major brush fires burning in Santa Barbara County continued to grow from Sunday to Monday, but there are no additional evacuation areas.
The Whittier Fire, which is mainly burning in the Santa Ynez Valley south of Lake Cachuma, went from 7800 to around 10,800 acres, with 5 % containment.
The Alamo Fire, in the mountains northeast of Santa Maria grew from around 24,000 to 29,000 acres, with 15% containment.
The weather was much milder Sunday and overnight into Monday in the region, with cooler temperatures, an onshore flow, and less wind. A cooling trend in the forecast for the next few days is expected to help firefighters.
Two major highways in the region remained closed as a result of the fires. Highway 154 is closed from Santa Barbara to Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley by the Whittier Fire. The fire now appears to be burning away from key Southern California Edison power lines which serve the South Coast. If the lines were to burn, Edison officials say they have contingency plans to serve Santa Barbara, Goleta, and other South Coast communities.
Highway 166 remains closed from Santa Maria to the Cuyama Valley by the Alamo Fire. It's been closed since Thursday afternoon.
