Fire investigators from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) have released the official cause of the Sherpa Fire as accidental. The Sherpa Fire started on June 15, 2016 and burned 7,474 acres before it was fully contained on July 12, 2016.

A resident living on La Scherpa Ranch was burning a log in his indoor fireplace when the wind picked up, causing smoke to fill the residence. The resident then carried the burning log to an outside water faucet, dropping hot embers on the ground, which ignited the vegetation fire.

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