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Evacuation Warning Issued For Santa Barbara County Burn Areas; Setup For Possible Evacuation Orders

With a significant storm expected to hit the Central and South Coasts early Saturday, Santa Barbara County has issued an evacuation warning for the Thomas, Whittier, and Sherpa brush fire burn areas.

The warning means if you are in those areas, you should take steps to prepare for a possible evacuation, but you aren’t being asked to do so at this time.

County officials say if the forecast doesn’t change, an evacuation order will be issued Friday. If the order is issued, it’s expected it will be for specific potentially high risk areas around the Thomas, Whittier, and Sherpa brush fire burn zones which could be impacted by flooding, or debris flows.

Meteorologists say they expect one to three inches of rain for the coast and valleys, and potentially up to seven inches on south facing mountains.

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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