The Whittier Fire and Alamo Fire are coming closer to containment due to favorable weather conditions such as lower temperatures, higher humidity and relatively no wind, according to fire officials during their morning update Tuesday.
“The crews will be directly attacking the fire line with ground crews and helicopter drops,” said Cpt. Dave Zaniboni of Santa Barbara County Fire.
The Whittier Fire held at 25 percent containment and 10,823 acres, and the Alamo Fire burning east of Santa Maria held at 28,926 acres and increased to 45 percent containment, Zaniboni said.
The Mandatory evacuation order for Farren Road in Goleta was downgraded to a warning, however all other evacuation orders remain in place, he added.
The brush fire that broke out near Camp Whittier and Lake Cachuma Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. was originally thought to have been ignited by a vehicle fire, but those reports are unconfirmed, according to fire officials.
All campers and staff at Camp Whittier, Circle V Ranch Camp and Rancho Alegre were safely evacuated, even after more than 80 children and staff from Circle V were trapped for a several hours. A Chumash Casino bus came and took the children to safety at Old Mission Santa Ines after rescuers and fire crews could get to them.
More than 20 structures have burned including the home of Pam Nelson and Robert “Cookie” Fortune that we featured yesterday. There are also reports of only the dining hall and one cabin at Rancho Alegre still standing. Two additional vehicles were destroyed including a police vehicle, according to eye witnesses. To see footage of the fire log onto our social media site such as Facebook to see live streaming video.
