The Loma Fire on Santa Barbara’s Westside was declared 100% contained on Monday evening, according to the Santa Barbara Fire Department.
Firefighters will continue to patrol the area through Tuesday evening and Loma Alta Drive will likely remain closed to vehicle traffic tentatively until Monday, May 31 at 8 a.m., said Santa Barbara fire Engineer Kevin Corbett.
Residents traveling through the area on foot or bike are encouraged to use extreme caution as rolling debris and rocks continue to fall onto the roadway, Corbett said, adding that Santa Barbara City Streets engineers are drafting a plan to mitigate the hazards from the burnt hillside and open the roadway when it is safe to do so.
The wind-driven blaze broke out just before 9 p.m. on Thursday evening at the base of TV Hill. As the flames roared up the hill, all on-duty Santa Barbara firefighters responded to the scene with help from personnel from local mutual-aid partners, Corbett said.
The fire, which blackened about 7 acres, damaged two structures, but no injuries were reported, Corbett said.
Late Thursday night, Santa Barbara police arrested 23-year-old Victor Hernandez on suspicion of arson for allegedly starting the fire.
Hernandez was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail and was being held on five counts of arson and narcotics charges, Corbett said.
He remained in custody Monday evening, with bail set at $2 million.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
