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Major Brush Fire On Central, South Coasts Declared Out; But, It's Not The Massive Thomas Blaze

(Photo by Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire Department)
A DC-10 air tanker makes a drop on the Whittier Fire, as it burns near Santa Ynez Peak in July

A major brush fire on the Central and South Coasts is finally out, but it’s not the huge fire that’s been in the news for the past month.

It’s the Whittier Fire, which started July 8th near Lake Cachuma, in Santa Barbara County. The blaze destroyed 16 homes, and 30 other buildings as it burned south over the Santa Ynez Mountains to threaten homes on the coast.

The 18,000 acre blaze was fully contained in October, about three months after it started. On New Year’s Eve, an aircraft using infrared technology flew over the burn area, and no heat was detected. The blaze was officially declared “out” at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The cause of the Whittier 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. 
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