Firefighters spray water on a vegetation fire that broke out Saturday afternoon at a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara. 
Firefighters spray water on a vegetation fire that broke out Saturday afternoon at a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara. 
The charred remains of a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara. 
Firefighters spray water on a vegetation fire that broke out Saturday afternoon at a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara. 
Firefighters spray water on a vegetation fire that broke out Saturday afternoon at a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara.
Firefighters responded Saturday afternoon to a vegetation fire that broke out at a homeless encampment along Highway 101 in downtown Santa Barbara.
The blaze near the northbound Bath Street offramp and Cottage Grove Avenue was reported shortly after 1:30 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Jim McCoy of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The fire put up a large column of smoke that was visible throughout the downtown area.
Crews were able to quickly knock down the blaze, McCoy said, and no injuries were reported.
“It turned out to be a pretty elaborate homeless encampment,” McCoy said.
An investigator was dispatched to search for the cause of the fire.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
