This column may be all about the Lake Fire, but here’s the deal:

Uh … well, anyway …

According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an eye-popping audience of 464,369 readers this past week.

What follows is my recap of the top stories you were reading over the last seven days. This time, I don’t have much to flame about in my opinion column.

1. Evacuation Orders Expanded as Lake Fire Continues to Challenge Firefighters (July 7)

As Noozhawk has been reporting since the first emergency radio dispatch on July 5, the Lake Fire has been burning out of control in the northeastern Santa Ynez Valley, growing to more than 34,000 acres as of July 12.

In the last seven days, executive editor Giana Magnoli has led a comprehensive team effort by our Tom Bolton, Janene Scully, Ray Ford, Josh Molina and Daniel Green that has resulted in an extraordinary 18 stories about the fire and its fallout.

The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation but — so far — it is burning in sparsely populated terrain after being reported just before 3:45 p.m. July 5 near Zaca Lake, about 14 miles northeast of Los Olivos.

More than 440 people have been evacuated as of July 12, with more than 1,100 more on standby, most of them in remote communities and on Los Padres National Forest land.

CalFire has reported that four “structures” have been damaged but no homes have been burned.

A handful of the more than 3,000 firefighters deployed to the blaze have been injured, a few of them seriously.

Containment currently is estimated at around 16%.

The Lake Fire is Santa Barbara County’s largest fire since the 2017 Thomas Fire and is California’s biggest fire this year. But it’s early yet.

In all, the Lake Fire took the first four spots in the Best of Bill Top 5, seven out of the Top 10 and 14 out of the Top 20.

2. Lake Fire Leads to Evacuation Order for Figueroa Mountain Area (July 7)

3. Evacuation Warning Issued as Fire Near Zaca Lake Burns Into the Night (July 5)

4. Firefighters Endure Long, Hot Day Battling Lake Fire (July 6)

6. More Evacuations, Firefighter Injuries, Night Helicopter Water Drops for Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County (July 9)

7. Lake Fire Tops 20,000 Acres, Containment Sits at 8% for Santa Barbara County Blaze (July 8)

10. Lake Fire Command Opening Second Base Camp as Resources Grow (July 10)

Noozhawk’s 24/7 reporting on the fire will continue as long as circumstances warrant, but we’ll begin providing a broader coverage of related issues next week.

In the meantime, our journalists and readers have provided dozens of real-time photos of the fire. HT to Scott Anderson, Ryan Cullom, Barbara Fabian, Ray Ford, Cassandra Grant, Peter Hartmann, Amy Katz, Bryan Murray, Carola Nicholson, Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck, Janene Scully, Brian Sexton and Mark van de Kamp for proving their pictures are worth a thousand words.

Here’s a slideshow of their work:

5. New Flood Zones May Affect Residents Across Santa Barbara County

It may be incongruous to be thinking about flooding while a major wildfire is raging, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency has revised its Flood Insurance Rate Map for Santa Barbara County, potentially affecting property owners’ flood insurance requirements.

As our Daniel Green reported, the updated maps — expected to be implemented in 2026 — will better reflect current flood risks in the region.

“There may be some people who … previously were not in one of these flood zones and then FEMA went and looked at the area and determined that their residence now is in a flood zone,” said Lael Wageneck, a county Public Works Department spokesman.

The county is proactively informing the public about the changes, and held a July 9 open house to answer questions.

The new maps focus on the eastern end of Santa Barbara through Montecito and Carpinteria to the Ventura County line and parts of Santa Ynez Valley along the Santa Ynez River.

They are said to more closely resemble previous flood maps than the opaque recovery maps used since the deadly 2018 Montecito flash flooding and debris flows.

“These maps continually need to be updated,” county Flood Control civil engineering specialist Matt Griffin told Daniel.

“One, because over time topography changes, and also there’s better and more descriptive modeling tools. So, the maps can be improved.”

Residents will have the opportunity to appeal their property’s inclusion in flood zones.

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Good Reads

Here are six more stories you should read, too:

» Juan Lopez of Santa Barbara, Killed in Hit-and-Run, Remembered as Loving, Humble Father ‘Always With a Smile’ — South County editor Josh Molina provides a fuller picture of the victim of a shockingly callous and craven hit-and-run driver.

» Santa Maria Expects to Issue Dozens of Citations for Illegal Fireworks — North County editor Janene Scully ignites some fireworks in this week’s letters to the editor section, but not in Santa Maria.

» County Supervisors Approve Tax Enforcement for Delinquent Short-Term Rentals — Executive editor Giana Magnoli has the details on Santa Barbara County’s plans to collect more taxes — some owed and some that visitors have to pay.

» Zach Rissel: Protect Your Backyard Citrus by Growing Alyssum — La Patera Ranch general manager and managing partner Zach Rissel is writing a new Noozhawk column on agriculture … for nonagriculture people.

» Livestock, Exhibitors Settle In as Santa Barbara County Fair Prepares to ‘Let the Magic Begin’ — Janene is on hand for moo-ve in day at the Santa Barbara County Fair.

» 61-Year-Old Local Phillip Nigh Completes 100-Mile Western States Endurance Run — Sports editor Diego Sandoval paces himself with a feature on an ultra runner’s 100-mile accomplishment in the Sierra foothills.

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Last Year on Noozhawk

What was our most-read story this time last year? Good Fences May Make Good Neighbors, But Decorative Gate Opens Door to Conflict.

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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week

Drug kingpin unleashes the perils of his hungry hippos: Pablo Escobar’s Abandoned Hippos Are Wreaking Havoc in the Colombian Jungle.

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Best of Bill’s Instagram

#nicotime returns to my Instagram feed this past week, along with smoke from a distant fire and #mailboxesofmontecito2024.

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Watch It

I don’t know how but the dog has gotta be a prime suspect. HT to Best of Bill reader Margaret Benson for the kitty-corner shenanigans.

More Best of Bill

Bill Macfadyen: Police Catch a Suspect in Deadly Hit-and-Run Near SBCC

Bill Macfadyen: Santa Barbara Neighbors Slide into Action over House Collapse

Bill Macfadyen: Montecito Beach Birthday Party Ends in Horror on Train Tracks