The Santa Barbara County Fire Department is planning a 280-acre prescribed burn at Sedgwick Reserve, about 30 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, that fire officials say could begin as early as Nov. 1 as part of a broader effort to reduce wildfire risk.
The burn is part of the Santa Barbara Vegetation Management and Ignition Prevention Project, which aims to create a connected network of fuel breaks through vegetation thinning, roadside clearing and prescribed burns. Backed by a recently awarded $990,000 grant from Cal Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Program, the project will span more than 3,100 acres across the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
Santa Barbara County Fire Division Chief Fred Tan said the 280-acre project could take two full days to implement and is the first phase of a larger 1,819-acre target area of Sedgwick Reserve, which is set to be completed over the next two to three years.
Tan said earlier prescribed burns in the region, including a 470-acre burn completed in October 2023, played a direct role in helping firefighters contain the 2024 Lake Fire, which burned more than 38,000 acres and scorched parts of the Sedgwick Reserve last summer.
“Because they knew the area and the fuel conditions, crews were able to use that reduced fuel zone and some of the roads we had improved to access the fire and its perimeter,” he said. “It helped prevent more intense fire from moving toward Sedgwick and the surrounding community.”
The total cost of the resources used to put out the Lake Fire, which burned for about a month, is estimated at $110 million. While that figure is high, Tan said prior vegetation management work helped prevent far greater destruction and emphasized that strategic burns remain one of the most cost-effective tools for reducing wildfire risk.
“Prescribed fires give us the most bang for the buck when it comes to cost,” he said. “Generally, it’s about $700 per acre.”
Tan said the project at Sedgwick was divided into smaller units to make the work safer, especially given the steep terrain and proximity to sensitive habitat areas, nearby homes and the Midland School. He said each unit is prepared with fire lines along the perimeter and sometimes within interior sections to help guide flame movement and ensure containment.
“We can dial up the intensity or dial down the intensity,” Tan said. “It gives us a little bit more control to be able to impact the fire’s effects.”
Another aspect of that control is how the fire is ignited.
Battalion Chief and Deputy Fire Marshal Vince LaRocco said crews at Sedgwick will use ground ignition only.
“We will not be using aerial ignition devices on this one,” LaRocco said. “The ignitions will be done by different hand firing or ground methods, then we will also probably utilize the Terra Torch.”
The Terra Torch is a flamethrower-style device that dispenses ignited fuel, often mounted on a truck or carried by hand.
He said the department’s decision to avoid aerial ignition for this portion of the Sedgwick Reserve, which is owned by UC Santa Barbara, was driven by safety concerns and the need to limit disruption to ongoing ecological research. LaRocco said the department also must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires fire agencies to protect sensitive natural resources when planning prescribed burns.
Why Now?
The Nov. 1 start date was chosen to align with a narrow window of ideal conditions.
LaRocco explained that by late fall, the targeted vegetation is dormant, which allows for a more efficient burn that helps lift smoke up and away from the valley. Cooler temperatures and higher overnight humidity also give crews an advantage in controlling the fire. The timing accommodates the region’s agricultural community, allowing local vineyards to complete their grape harvest, he said.
During the peak of the operation, Tan estimates that 80 to 85 personnel will be on site. He explained that grant funding is structured to prevent any impact on regular emergency services by allowing the department to back-fill personnel to staff fire stations while crews are assigned to the burn.
He added that the burn also offers valuable real-world training for newer firefighters and engineers, as well as command staff gaining experience with ignition tactics and operational planning.
Tan said success of the operation ultimately will be determined by two key outcomes.
“The No. 1 thing is that no one is injured. If we can walk out of there and everyone goes back home, that’s a good measure of success,” he said. “The other piece is that we were able to accomplish what we planned to do for those acres.”
After the operation, the department will conduct an after-action review with participating crews and landowners to assess performance and identify lessons for future burns.