Fire burning in Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara grows to 1,200 acres

[WhiteTara]

Source: LA Times

A 15-mile stretch of Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County that shut down overnight for a fast-moving brush fire was reopened Thursday morning, Caltrans officials said.

The highway between El Capitan State Beach and Gaviota reopened just before 7:30 a.m., Caltrans spokesman Jim Shivers said.

But firefighters in the mountains along the highway continued to fight a blaze that began about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday near Refugio Road. The fire exploded overnight and grew to 1,200 acres in just a few hours, authorities said Thursday.

The Sherpa fire prompted the evacuation of Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons north of Santa Barbara. Winds had died down after nightfall, slowing the fire, but then suddenly gained strength, sending lines of flames snaking down the mountainsides.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5762cb2d/turbine/la-me-brush-fire-santa-barbara-county-pictures-003/1500/1500x844

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-barbara-fire-refugio-20160616-snap-story.html

[uppityperson]

1. it's that time of year.

Note to self, get out chainsaw this weekend and clear brush from near house

[JonathanRackham]

3. Do you have a steel roof on your house?

Be safe.

[uppityperson]

4. We do, but the woods, the forest, is too close on one side.

[passiveporcupine]

6. Are you in Southern Cal?

If so, have you gotten any rain relief? I'm up in Oregon and we are having a wet spell (and a wet year, so our drought appears to be over for now), so the fire danger is not here yet, but I too have forest too close to the house (within 12' on the creek side)...and I know exactly how you feel.

Good luck and take care.

[uppityperson]

8. Nope, up in NW WA. The rainforest had a fire here last yr, we have a new 40 acre clearcut

next door to us with lots of slash laying about. I think we were cut 70 yrs ago or some such, just right for a fire. Last yr we let our meadow grass get to high and it was scary. We've done some clearing, but have 1 side left, fortunately the uphill side.

[passiveporcupine]

10. Yeah, my uphill side is loaded with downed or dead trees right now

I hope you can mow some of your meadow area. I have too much that can't be mowed and has to be cleared by hand. My body is not up to this kind of work any more.

[Hekate]

2. One of the news stations had the rare good fortune of a roadside interview w a Cal Poly prof...

....who knew what he was talking about, instead of some random soul leaving the campground.

Bottom line: this area hasn't had a burn in 60 years. That's a LOT of fuel.

I'm keeping my windows shut as of last evening out here in Goleta. If the wind shifts the air will be foul; as it is we can smell the smoke.

[maggies farm]

5. Chaparral like other forest are suppose to burn

I live about 15 miles away.

The local news site edhat is a good resource (along with http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4786/)


I have fled two catastrophic Santa Barbara fires. The tea and jeusita fires. In both cases driivng by 30 to 50 foot flames.


The Chapparal forest burns on average about every 40-60 years.

Fires in the area are often complicated by sundowner winds.

[Hekate]

11. I came out here in 1979; our lives are punctuated by fires. The Painted Cave Fire ...

... burned down into Tucker's Grove, which is about 3 miles from us: I packed the car. During the Gap Fire I actually did leave, as it was practically over our heads.

I became more reconciled to California's periodic fires when I finally realized the entire ecology is evolved to burn, and some seeds won't even germinate unless they've passed through fire first. But unlike some people I would never attempt to use a garden hose to protect my home, any more than I would stand out in the rain to watch a hurricane approach.

Stay safe, maggies farm.

[Warpy]

7. Fire season here in NM, also

A couple of small towns in the mountains southeast of me are under mandatory evacuation. We're just lucky winds are light.

Unfortunately, it's hot as hell and there's no rain in sight.

[WhiteTara]

9. So far we've been lucky here

in Arkansas. The temps are beginning to soar and being from California, I always feel concern about the forests erupting into fire.

[Hekate]

12. Just went out in the back yard and now my lungs hurt. You can see the little white ash particles ...

...floating by.

[Beaverhausen]

13. Hope no vineyards are threatened.

Stay safe!