A small, naturally occurring oil-shale fire was burning Monday in a hillside about a mile west of Arroyo Burro Beach near Santa Barbara.
The fire does not present a hazard to the public, said Mike Eliason, a Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman, but the area is flagged off as a safety precaution.
Fire personnel responded to a smoldering section hillside about 10 feet from the beach.
Eliason said at about 12:20 p.m. that hand crews were working to clear the nearby vegetation.
“It’s going to go to its natural course, and it will eventually stop,” Eliason said.
Eliason said oil shale trapped in rock can occasionally become heated and combust in a naturally occurring process when exposed to oxygen.
The winds in the area were creating a constant influx of oxygen on the smoldering oil shales, which is causing friction, Eliason said.
“(It’s) much like blowing two sticks while trying to start a camp fire,” he said.
Eliason said the smell in the surrounding area is burning hydrocarbons.
“This geological event occurs every so often in the area,” Eliason added.
Santa Barbara County Environmental Health staff confirmed with the fire department personnel on-scene that there is no active seep or threat to waterways, according to Susan Klein-Rothschild, deputy director of the county Public Health Department.
Klein-Rothschild said county fire also reported detecting low levels of hydrogen sulfide on the beach within 50-feet of the cliff face.
“While the detected levels are well below those thought to cause adverse health effects, the County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Services recommends that people avoid the areas above and particularly below the area of concern on the beach due to the fact that hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air and tends to sink and collect in low-lying areas,” Klein-Rothschild said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
