Fire equipment in place along Figueroa Mountain Road on the way up to Figueroa Mountain where burnout occurred on one side of the road as the blaze approached.
Fire equipment in place along Figueroa Mountain Road on the way up to Figueroa Mountain where burnout occurred on one side of the road as the blaze approached. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo

Lake Fire crews used water-dropping helicopters all night Monday to protect properties along Happy Canyon, and expect to use night air support again, incident commander Anthony Stornetta told county supervisors.

“That’s out of the ordinary, that’s something we haven’t done in a long time,” he said during a Tuesday morning briefing to the board.

Stornetta, chief of emergency operations for Santa Barbara County Fire, said they plan to bring in additional CalFire helicopters for more night water-dropping on Tuesday. The day’s weather forecast calls for high temperatures and strong winds and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the fire area and other parts of the count.

A Figueroa Mountain-area weather station showed 86-degree temperatures and 6% relative humidity at 11 p.m. Monday.

“That is incredible at 11 o’clock at night,” Stornetta said.

The fire is pushing southeast, and Unified Command – County Fire, CalFire and Forest Service – is prioritizing keeping the fire from approaching communities in the south.

A helicopter fighting the Lake Fire on Tuesday. Credit: Santa Barbara County Fire photo

Stornetta confirmed the blaze has started burning wilderness areas, which are more difficult for firefighting crews and equipment to access.

He told supervisors that there have been several firefighter injuries and no reported civilian injuries or deaths in this wildfire. No homes have been reported damaged or destroyed, but one forest outbuilding was damaged as of Tuesday, he said.

The blaze grew to 26,986 acres as of Tuesday night, and crews reported 16% containment around the perimeter.

“Most fire movement today was toward the southeast in wilderness areas, otherwise no significant changes in public impacts,” Los Padres National Forest officials said.

County Orders More Evacuations

The county expanded evacuation order and warning zones again midday Tuesday to include the Woodstock, Goat Rock and Santa Barbara ranger areas east of Goat Rock.

Warning areas were also expanded by the Sheriff’s Office: “Area east and north of Alisos Rd (L-shaped road), west of Cachuma Creek, and south of the US Forest Service entrance at Happy Canyon Road. Area east of Highway 154, north of Armour Ranch Road/Secretariate St, west of Alisos Rd, & south of the Woodstock. Area east of Figueroa Mountain Road, north of Highway 154, west of Calzada Ave/W Oak Trail Rd and south of Woodstock Rd.”

Click here for an interactive map of evacuation order and warning areas in effect.

Highway 154 is not within the evacuation zone but officials advise people to use Highway 101 instead, to avoid delays due to the fire. There is one-way traffic control still in effect near Painted Cave Road for emergency repairs on the Santa Barbara side of Highway 154.

A Lake Fire map shows evacuation orders in effect (in red) and evacuation warnings in effect (in orange) for Santa Barbara County. Credit: Screenshot via Santa Barbara County

After Stornetta’s report, Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann asked how much notice residents will get for evacuations.

“How do you move from evacuation warning to ‘you gotta get out of here’?” Hartmann asked.

Stornetta and Todd Hopkins of CalFire confirmed that residents will receive notice of evacuations through Ready SBC alerts, and that sheriff’s deputies and Search and Rescue members are knocking on doors as well.

Residents in warning zones should gather up family, animals, and important materials like documents and prescription medicines, they said.

“Just be prepared,” Stornetta told Noozhawk. “If you have a little warning, be prepared to get out. Don’t wait until an order comes. Have everything ready to go and follow the evacuation.”

Homes and farms on flat areas along Birabent Creek with Zaca Peak in the background.
Homes and farms along Birabent Creek with Zaca Peak in the background. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo

Firefighter Injuries Reported

Stornetta said there were 2,485 personnel assigned to the blaze Tuesday but another few hundred are expected soon, as more resources arrive. He said there are 190 fire engines and 70 hand crews being used.

As of now, officials have not seen any civilian deaths or injuries.

“We know of no injuries for evacuation or anything like that,” Stornetta told Noozhawk. “We have had some firefighter injuries on the line. So, we have unfortunately had some of that.”

Crews at the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday. Credit: Scott Anderson / LA Fire photo

He stated that the injuries were serious, but all the injured firefighters are expected to recover.

According to Kenichi Haskett, a public information officer for CalFire, the first incident occurred on Sunday, but the injury was not directly related to the fire.

The other two incidents occurred on Monday on the front line. The injuries were not due to burns but were described as traumatic.

Haskett said that everyone involved is expected to make a full recovery.

As far as homes and buildings, Stornetta said that fire officials are still assessing the damage, but so far the only confirmed damage was an outbuilding in the forest area.

“We haven’t heard of any homes being lost, but that’s the latest update we have,” he said.

Crews beginning to mop up hots spots on the south side of Figueroa Mountain Road on Tuesday.
Crews beginning to mop up hots spots on the south side of Figueroa Mountain Road on Tuesday. Credit: Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo

Fire Movement

As of Tuesday, the fire is moving into the wilderness along the Cachuma Saddle area off Figueroa Mountain and authorities are seeing active fires near Happy Canyon.

Stornetta also said that fire crews are seeing “good containment” near Foxen Canyon Road.

There are road closures in effect there, and near Zaca Lake. Stornetta said that officials will open the road up as they get the fire under control.

“I know there is there’s a lot of concern about some businesses in there, and that is a priority of ours. We want people to get back in there and we want to get those wineries open up too,” he said.

However, they do expect high winds from the northeast over the night that may affect the fire. Due to smoke and ash from the fire, county officials declared an air quality alert for the Los Olivos area. Check air quality here.

Of the issues challenging crews is the terrain, which Stornetta described as “steep” and “rough.” It is making it hard for crews to keep their footing, especially since many are working long shifts and trying to stay hydrated in the heat.

Another issue is the amount of grass crops fueling the fire, which officials attribute to the high amount of rain over the past few years.

“With the thicker grass crop, it’s just really letting the fire move through those fine fuels and burn faster,” said Hopkins from CalFire.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates on the Lake Fire.

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli contributed reporting to this story.

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.