[Scroll down to see video of the fire]
A woman was found dead Monday after a fast-moving fire swept through a single-story home in Montecito, according to the Montecito Fire Protection District.
Fire crews responded at about 7:30 a.m. to the 100 block of Loureyro Road, near the intersection of Jameson Lane and Sheffield Road, and found the home engulfed in flames, district spokeswoman Geri Ventura said.
Ventura confirmed that an elderly female was found dead in the home’s charred remains.
Firefighters were slowed in their efforts when the structure’s roof collapsed shortly after they arrived, delaying the interior attack on the flames, Ventura said.
She said they also were hampered by brush and trees up against the structure — what she called a lack of “defensible space.”
Coroner’s personnel responded to the scene and arson investigators also were called in, Ventura said.
The blaze broke out just hours after another two-alarm fire on Picacho Lane Sunday night. The same dispatcher, former Montecito firefighter Scott Edwards, was on duty for both fires, Ventura said.
A large column of smoke from Monday’s fire was visible throughout the area and firefighters continued spraying down the smoldering home after the flames were out.
Roads were shut down in the area, including Loureyo Road and Jameson Lane between Sheffield Drive and La Vuelta. Traffic was also backed up on nearby Highway 101.
“It’s unusual for us to have two fires of this nature in one day, and given the outlook of the season, I hope it’s not a predictor of things to come,” Ventura said.
It was lucky that there weren’t high winds Monday morning, she said, like the winds that caused flames to jump from a mulch pile to a Montecito home on Picacho Lane night before.
Montecito firefighters were assisted by crews from the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department and the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, while the CHP and Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies provided traffic control.
Noozhawk News Editor Giana Magnoli reported from the scene.
— 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.
Montecito Fatal Fire from Noozhawk on Vimeo.