A firefighting airplane drops fire retardant ahead of the Alisal fire near Goleta on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.
(Luis Sinco )
A firefighter battles the Alisal fire along the 101 Freeway near Goleta on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.
(Luis Sinco)
Firefighters battle the Alisal Fire at night on October 12, 2021 near Goleta, California. Pushed by high winds, the Alisal Fire grew to 6,000 acres overnight, shutting down the much-traveled 101 Freeway along the Pacific Coast.
(David McNew)
Firefighters put out spot fires ahead of the Alisal fire along the 101 Freeway near Goleta on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.
(Luis Sinco )
Cal Fire firefighter Canyon Vela douses hot spots at homes along Refugio Road near Circle Bar B guest ranch as flames from the Alisal Firetore through Tuesday morning as the Alisal Fire is over 7,000 acres on Tuesday after it quickly grew Monday afternoon driven by sundowner winds as it burned through Tajiguas Canyon to the 101 freeway forcing its closure. Mandatory evacuations are in place as the gusty winds drive flames through rough terrain that hasnt burned in decades. The 1955 Refugio Fire that consumed 80,000 acres is the last time much of the area had burned. The historic Reagan Rancho del Cielo which sits near the top of Refugio Canyon could be threatened by the flames as the fire moves into Refugio Canyon.
(Al Seib )
A man uses a garden hose to water down dry vegetation as the Alisal fire burns at the edges of a ranch near Goleta on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021.
(Luis Sinco)
A firefighter is dwarfed by the plume of the Alisal fire near Goleta on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.
(Luis Sinco)
The Alisal Fire quickly grew to over 1,000 acres Monday afternoon driven by sundowner winds as it burned through Tajiguas Canyon to the 101 freeway forcing its closure. Mandatory evacuations are in place as the gusty winds drive flames through rough terrain that hasnt burned in decades. The 1955 Refugio Fire that consumed 80,000 acres is the last time much of the area had burned. The historic Reagan Rancho del Cielo which sits near the top of Refugio Canyon could be threatened by the flames as the fire moves into Refugio Canyon.
(Al Seib)
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Shifting winds are the primary force behind fire growth responsible for burning more than 16,800 acres in the Southern California coastal mountains.
As of Thursday, the Alisal Fire burning in California's Santa Barbara County was only 5% contained, the U.S. Forest Service said.
The Los Padres National Forest Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. Still, fire officials say the north winds blowing 30-35 mph and gusting to 70 mph quickly spread the blaze from just above the Alisal Reservoir across four lanes of California Highway 101 and toward the Gaviota coastline. They say these lands have not been burned since the 1950s.
The 1,306 total personnel battling the blaze have been advised to expect wind switches throughout the day. Northeast winds will switch to westerly in the afternoon and back to northeast in the evening. Strong downsloping winds will continue to impact fire behavior over the next several evenings, officials say.
Fire crews held the fire Wednesday to the north along West Camino Cielo. They completed a successful burnout operation last night from Refugio Road to the Camino Ceilo, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Winds drove the fire west forcing evacuations west of Arroyo Hondo towards Gaviota.
Fire officials say the priority Thursday will be to halt the spread to the northeast above Refugio Canyon. Crews will continue to use aviation assets as conditions allow.