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Firefighters were expected to remain on scene through the night Sunday, mopping up a vegetation fire that charred about 15 acres in Refugio Canyon, according to a Los Padres National Forest spokesman.
Because of the dry conditions and the potential for evening winds, the various fire agencies hit the blaze with a full-scale response, said Forest Service spokesman Andrew Madsen.
At the peak, as many as 200 fire personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, Santa Barbara County and Vandenberg Air Force Base were assigned to what was dubbed the Circle Fire due to its general proximity to the Circle Bar B Guest Ranch at 1800 Refugio Road, Madsen said.
However, the fire itself was farther up the mountain, close to the ridge line east near West Camino Cielo and Refugio Road.
“As of about 7:15 p.m., we began mopping up,” Madsen said. “They’ve stopped the forward rate of spread.”
Two crews were to remain on the scene overnight looking for hot spots and hosing them down, he said.
There were no injuries reported and no structures damaged, Madsen said, although some structures were threatened.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, he said.
Ten engines were assigned to the blaze, which was reported at about 3:30 p.m., said Madsen, who added that four air tankers operating out of Santa Maria also were brought in for the firefight, along with a helicopter.
“It’s going to be a tough summer, and really dry, so people need to be careful,” he cautioned.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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