Evacuation warnings were issued late Thursday night after a vegetation fire broke out in Refugio Canyon on the Gaviota Coast.

Santa Barbara County fire crews were dispatched shortly after 11 p.m. to the fire on the 1400 block of Refugio Road, on the ocean side of the mountains, according to fire Capt. Scott Safechuck.

There were reports of power lines down in the area.

The initial size-up of the blaze was 5 to 10 acres, with a moderate rate of spread, and the potential for 500 acres, according to emergency radio traffic.

As of 6 a.m. Friday, the fire had charred 86 acres and was 0% contained, Safechuck said.

“Wind activity had decreased reducing fire activity,” Safechuck said. “However, the fire burned ‘dirty’, meaning that there is still a lot of unburned fuel within the burn scar area.”

Personnel on scene were having difficulty accessing the flames in the rugged terrain.

Some structures were threatened, and the evacuation warnings were issued for residents from the 1300 to the 1500 blocks of Refugio Road.

The warnings were extended to Venadito Canyon Road, just east of Refugio Canyon, early Friday.

Earl Warren Showgrounds at 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara was activated for large animal evacuations, but has since closed.

For information on small and large animal evacuations, call 805.698.0212. Information will be posted on readysbc.org as it becomes available. 

The flames reportedly were less than a mile from the Circle Bar-B Guest Ranch.

A Wind Advisory was in effect Thursday night, calling for northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts to 50 mph.

The county’s night-flying Firehawk helicopter was called in to make water drops on the fire, which appeared to be burning mostly within Los Padres National Forest, Safechuck said.

Los Padres National Forest is in unified command with county fire in battling the blaze.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.