This story was last updated at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Cave Fire started in Los Padres National Forest Monday afternoon and burned south toward the Santa Barbara South Coast.
Santa Barbara County officials lifted all evacuation orders and storm-related warnings Wednesday morning, and the evacuation shelter will close Wednesday as well.
Earlier in the week, mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Cave Fire Monday night for the areas north of Cathedral Oaks Road between Fairview Avenue in Goleta and Highway 154, and the areas north of Highway 192/Foothill Road between Highway 154 and North Ontare Road in Santa Barbara.
The western, Goleta boundary was going to be reduced at noon Tuesday, so the new zone will be areas north of Cathedral Oaks Road between Patterson Avenue and Highway 154.
Evacuation warnings were issued for the area between North Ontare Road and Gibraltar Road, north of Highway 192/Foothill Road, but that was dropped late Tuesday night.
Warnings were also issued for the area between Highway 154 and El Sueno Road, between Cathedral Oaks and Calle Real.
The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management interactive map has updated evacuation information as well as the fire perimeter.
An evacuation shelter was set up at the Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Ave.
Evacuated residents can take small animals to the Goleta animal shelter at 5473 Overpass Road, and large animals, including horses, can be taken to the Earl Warren Showgrounds at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara. The hotline for information about animal evacuations is 805.681.4332.
Santa Barbara County set up an emergency call center for the Cave Fire, which can be reached at 833.688.5551.
School Closures
Santa Barbara Community College decided to close its campuses and cancel classes on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the fire, “out of an abundance of caution.”
UC Santa Barbara also cancelled classes for Tuesday and the rest of the week, the chancellor announced at 11 a.m. Classes will restart Monday, Dec. 2, and the campus is staying open and operational.
Antioch University Santa Barbara closed Tuesday and will be closed Wednesady as well.
Many Santa Barbara K-12 schools are closed this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
Road Closures
The California Highway Patrol closed all lanes of Highway 154 Monday night, between Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley and Highway 192/Foothill Road, in the Santa Barbara area. Drivers can use Highway 101 as an alternate route.
Authorities also closed local roadways due to the fire and evacuation orders in place.
Check highway conditions through the Caltrans website here.
Check Santa Barbara County road closures here.
Air Quality
The Air Pollution Control District issued an Air Quality Warning for Santa Barbara County Tuesday due to smoke from the Cave Fire.
“Everyone, especially people with heart or lung disease, including asthma, older adults, pregnant women, and children, should avoid time outdoors when high concentrations of smoke and particules are in the air. If you must go outside, limit your time outdoors and wear a properly fitted N-95 mask. When driving, use the recirculate option on the vehicle’s air conditioner.”
APCD suggests closing doors and windows and using a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter indoors, or creating a “clean air room” in your home. Choose a shared space or a bedroom to run a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) purifier. These purifiers are available online or at home improvement stores and start at approximately $75. HEPA purifiers can reduce indoor particulate levels by up to 90 percent. A less expensive, but similarly effective, option involves attaching a MERV-rated filter to a box fan, which costs $30 to $40.
“If you have symptoms that may be related to exposure to smoke, soot and ash, contact your health care provider. Symptoms include repeated coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, and nausea or unusual fatigue or lightheadedness. If you are sensitive to air pollution, and air quality is poor in your area to the extent that you are unable to keep indoor air clean, consider relocating to an area where the air is cleaner.”
The Air Pollution Control District has real-time monitoring information on its website here.
Direct Relief said it would distribute N-95 masks to the public at its headquarters, 6100 Wallace Becknell Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and added additional distribution areas for noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday including:
» Isla Vista Neighborhood Clinic at 970 Embarcadero Del Mar
» Goleta Neighborhood Clinic at 5580 Calle Real
» Goleta City Hall at 130 Cremona Dr.
» Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Ave., which is also the Cave Fire evacuation shelter
Masks are also available at the Santa Barbara Central Library at 40 E. Anapamu St.; La Casa de la Raza at 601 E. Montecito St.; and Unity Shoppe at 1209 State St. and 1401 Chapala St.
Tips on N-95 masks from Public Health and APCD:
» N-95 masks can reduce smoke exposure outdoors by up to 95 percent but only if they fit properly. Scarves, bandanas, and surgical masks are not effective and should not be used. Masks must fit snugly around the nose and chin. For that reason, they are not suitable for children or people with facial hair.
» People with heart and lung conditions should talk to their doctor before using an N-95 mask, as the masks can restrict airflow.
» N-95 masks should not be used to extend time outdoors beyond what is necessary.
During the Thomas Fire in 2017, the county released tips for reusing N-95 masks and safely cleaning up ash.
Power Outages
Southern California Edison canceled the public safety power shutoff consideration for South Coast areas as of Tuesday morning.
There were several fire-related outages reported Monday and Tuesday, and specific outage information can be found on the company’s website map here.
Emergency Alerts and Other Fire Information
Santa Barbara County set up an emergency call center for the Cave Fire, which can be reached at 833.688.5551.
Information is also available by calling 2-1-1 or, for people outside the 805 area code, by calling 800.400.1572.
With rain storms expected early Wednesday and over the weekend, Santa Barbara County has sandbags available in multiple locations.
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Sign up for the county Aware & Prepare emergency alerts here, or through the ReadySBC.org website.
Check back with Noozhawk for ongoing coverage of the Cave Fire and updates to this story.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook. Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
