The Alisal Fire broke out on Oct. 11 and burned more than 16,000 acres in southern Santa Barbara County along the Gaviota Coast. The cause is still under investigation. 
A helicopter dips down to get water for the Alisal Fire Tuesday. 
The Alisal Fire burns the upper Arroyo Hondo Canyon Tuesday. The historic adobe, left, was undamaged. 
A dozer works in upper Arroyo Hondo Canyon Tuesday. 
An aerial view of the Alisal Fire Tuesday morning. 
A view of the Alisal Fire from the Reagan Ranch Monday night. 
Smoke from the Alisal Fire fills the sky, seen from Reagan Ranch Tuesday. 
The Alisal Fire burned through Baron Canyon Tuesday. 
The Alisal Fire grew to 6,000 acres overnight, officials said at a Tuesday morning briefing. 
Santa Barbara County firefighters knock down flames while standing in the northbound lanes of Highway 101 near Refugio State Beach early Tuesday morning. The Alisal Fire grew to 3,900 acres by midnight and 6,000 acres by 6 a.m. 
A satellite view of smoke from the Alisal Fire in Santa Barbara County Tuesday. 
The Santa Ynez Peak wildfire alert camera shows smoke from the Alisal Fire Tuesday.
The Alisal Fire had charred an estimated 8,000 acres by mid-afternoon Tuesday, as fire officials were coping with another day of gusty winds that were limiting the ability to use aircraft to battle the growing blaze.
Los Padres National Forest officials said the fire started near Alisal Lake Monday afternoon and burned over the summit of the Santa Ynez Mountains toward the Gaviota Coast.
Flames jumped Highway 101 lanes and burned on both sides, causing an indefinite closure of the roadway and adjacent railroad tracks in the area.
Gusty conditions continued overnight, pushing the blaze from an estimated 3,900 acres at midnight to 6,000 acres by 7 a.m., with 0% containment, said Mike Eliason, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
It had grown another 1,500 acres as of noon, according to emergency radio traffic, and was burning heavily in the upper Refugio Canyon area.
By 2:45 p.m., the U.S. Forest Service estimated the area burned at 8,000 acres.
The fire has multiple heads, county fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said, pushing to the west near Arroyo Quemada and to the east in the area of Las Flores Canyon. It also was making a run in Venadito Canyon east of Refugio Canyon.
Erratic winds, poor visibility and rugged terrain were hampering the use of firefighting aircraft, Bertucelli said; some heavy helicopters have been able to fly, but fixed-wings tankers have not.
There were 100 to 120 structures threatened by the blaze as of midday Tuesday. One outbuilding was reported destroyed Monday night.
“Hopefully, lesser winds will allow air support to work the fire today,” Eliason said after a morning briefing.
#AlisalFire – Powerful sundowners at 5:15pm Monday near Gaviota where Montecito Firefighters on our Type 6 engine were assigned. Strong winds continue to ground fixed wing aircraft. Please take time to review your wildfire action plan: https://t.co/HR8pnsYbs0 pic.twitter.com/w1ZF4bF9dk — Montecito Fire (@montecitofire) October 12, 2021
The Alisal Fire was burning west of the Sherpa Fire burn area, and fire officials hoped the burn scar could act as a buffer keeping the blaze from going east toward the Goleta Valley.
Flames caused minor damage to Tajiguas Landfill facilities, county Fire Chief Mark Hartwig told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
“I’m up at Tajiguas Landfill right now, and one of our highest priorities is to protect this facility,” he said.
Crews of firefighters have been staged there since Monday night to do structure protection.
Buildings and equipment at the site include the new $150-million ReSource Center recycling facility designed to reduce the amount of material going to the landfill.
Hartwig said flames from the Alisal Fire were burning on both sides of Highway 101 between El Capitán State Beach and Tajiguas Canyon, on Tuesday morning.
There are structure protection teams at the landfill and additional personnel were sent there Tuesday, according to emergency radio traffic.
Flames have damaged some heavy equipment, infrastructure piping, and a digester in the Materials Recovery Facility, according to Hartwig.
“For the most part, damage to the Tajiguas facility is minimal,” he said, giving credit both to firefighters and Public Works Department staff at the landfill.
There were about 600 firefighters assigned to the blaze on Tuesday.
Hartwig said onshore winds and sundowner winds are expected Tuesday.
“It will run up into the canyons where the fire is well established and then we expect evening downslope winds again this evening,” he said.
Highway 101 remained closed from Highway 1 to the western Goleta Valley, at Winchester Canyon Road, with no estimate on reopening.
The Santa Barbara Office of the California Highway Patrol reported heavy traffic on State Route 154, the only local alternate north-south route, on Tuesday, and warned drivers to give themselves extra time to get to their destinations.
SR 154 is congested due to the US 101 closure. Please see below for an update:
US-101 remains closed in both directions of travel from Winchester to SR-1 due to the #AlisalFire, with no ETA to reopen.
Alternate routes are SR-154 and I-5. Expect heavier than normal traffic. pic.twitter.com/X2OhwQdBKl — CHP Santa Barbara (@CHP_SantaBarb) October 12, 2021
Large tractor trailers and big rigs over 65 feet long are not allowed on State Route 154, a two-lane roadway that winds through the mountains, and are required to take Interstate 5 as an alternate route, according to the CHP.
The Sheriff’s Department has issued evacuation orders and warnings for communities along the Gaviota Coast up to West Camino Cielo along the ridge line of the Santa Ynez Mountains, and an evacuation center is open at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.
The warning was extended to the area between Mariposa Reina and Arroyo Hondo Tuesday afternoon.
Click here for an interactive map of the evacuation zones.
Eighteen people stayed at the evacuation center overnight, including 14 people who were stranded in Santa Barbara when their Amtrak train could not continue north, said Kelly Hubbard, director of the county Office of Emergency Management.
Large animal evacuation assistance is available and livestock can be transported to Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara.
Click here to read the latest information about evacuations, road closures, and air quality.
— 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.
