Santa Barbara woke up to the sight of a charred and smoldering hillside Friday after a wind-whipped fire burned about 10 acres on the city’s Westside and TV Hill overnight.
The Loma Fire, which was first reported shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday, was pushed up TV Hill toward buildings – including the KEYT television station – at a “rapid rate of spread,” according to public information officer Mike Eliason of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Fire crews from all over the county responded to help Santa Barbara City Fire Department personnel get hose lines on the fire and protect structures from the flames.
Two homes were damaged, but not destroyed, and no injuries were reported in the blaze, Eliason said.
As of Friday, fire authorities had revised the total acreage burned down to 7 acres from 20 acres, and firefighters remained on the scene extinguishing hot spots and smoldering brush in the area.
Containment was about 70% Friday morning and crews were drawing a line around the burned area, “making sure the fire is dead out,” Eliason said.
“We don’t want any embers going outside containment lines with this wind.”
The fire investigation was ongoing Friday, but police arrested a Santa Barbara resident on suspicion of intentionally starting the Loma Fire, Santa Barbara police spokesman Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said.
Evacuations were issued Thursday night for residents in the area of Loma Alta and Miramonte drives, and were lifted at about 12:30 a.m. once forward progress on the fire was stopped.
The blazing hillside could be seen from all over Santa Barbara.
“Luckily the winds were pushing it sort of horizontally compared to the hillside. If the winds were pushing a different direction, it could have easily slopped over the top of Miramonte (Drive) and into the canyon,” Eliason said.
The city Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.
“We’re still concerned because it’s windy,” said Liliana Encinas, who works in the city’s office of emergency services, on Friday. “There are two additional hand crews at the site to assist with any flare-ups or hot spots.”
“These incidents are just reminders that we need to be prepared,” she said, encouraging people to plan ahead for evacuation routes and be alert for weather conditions with a higher risk of wildfire (high winds, warm temperatures, low humidity).
Meteorologist Todd Hall of the National Weather Service in Oxnard said Friday’s weather was expected to be less windy but drier than Thursday.
A wind advisory is in effect for the Santa Barbara area through Saturday morning.
#Loma Fire- UPDATE- As daylight begins, FF’s continue to mop up hot spots and secure containment. Loma IC reports with GPS mapping, revised acreage has been revised to under 10 acres. Two homes were damaged, none destroyed. No injuries reported. Cause under investigation. pic.twitter.com/ldIJSfdkWb
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) May 21, 2021
— 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.