One person has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting the fire on a remote ridge in the Gaviota area, where firefighters struggled late Saturday night and early Sunday morning to access the burning vegetation.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to the incident involving a slow-moving fire on the Hollister Ridge, county Fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said.
On Sunday afternoon, Safechuck said fire investigators had arrested a man for suspicion of arson. Authorities did not release the man’s name, age or hometown.
Initial reports Saturday put the fire at 3 acres as crews attempted to reach the flames from Hollister Ranch, Safechuck said.
They later tried from behind Vista de Las Cruces School off Highway 1 before determining Hollister Ranch likely would provide the best route to reach the flames, according to emergency dispatch reports.
“Access remains difficult to the fire,” Safechuck said at 2 a.m.
After deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle to survey the area, firefighters estimated the fire had grown to 6 acres with no structures threatened.
After 7 a.m. Sunday, Safechuck said crews estimated the fire had blackened 30-40 acres, but still was not threatening any structures.
An Evacuation Warning was issued Sunday for the Alegria Canyon area of Hollister Ranch. Residents were urged to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
After getting a better assessment of the scene in daylight and under clear skies, firefighters estimated 16.9 acres had burned.
Firefighters and bulldozer operators were continuing to work to get access to the site.
Fog also hampered firefighters’ visibility of the burning area, he added.
Once the fog lifted, firefighters deployed helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to help battle the blaze from above, Safechuck added.
At about 1:30 p.m., Safechuck indicated the fire was 10% contained, and the fixed-wing aircraft were released from the incident, while water-dropping helicopters remained on scene.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.