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Fire Investigators Say Power Line Sparked Central Coast Brush Fire Which Threatened 100 Structures

(Santa Barbara County Fire Department photo by Mike Eliason)
An air tanker make a drop in the June, 2020 Drum brush fire west of Buellton

Fire investigators say an issue with a power line triggered a brush fire on the Central Coast which at one point forced evacuations, and threatened about 100 structures.

Last June's Drum Fire burned nearly 700 acres of brush off of Highway 246 west of Buellton before it was fully contained.

Santa Barbara County fire investigators say it was started by a PG&E power line which failed, and arced to the ground.

More than 200 firefighters aided by air tankers, and helicopters were able to stop the blaze before it could reach homes, and other structures in the rural area between Buellton and Lompoc.  No one was hurt.

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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