The Whittier Fire is now up to 7,800 acres according to Los Padres fire officials. The brush fire that broke out near Camp Whittier and Lake Cachuma Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. was thought to have been ignited by a vehicle fire.

All campers and staff at Camp Whittier, Circle V Ranch Camp and Rancho Allegre were safely evacuated, however many structures have burned and 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.

Mandatory Evacuations are in effect for the following areas:

  • Highway 154 from Armour Ranch Road on the west to Paradise Road on the east.
  • W. Camino Cielo from the Winchester Gun Club east to Highway 154
    Kinevan Road

Evacuation Warnings are in effect for the following areas:

  • Las Varas Canyon east to Winchester Canyon and from Highway 101 North to W. Camino Cielo.
  • Paradise Road from 154 to the first river crossing.

Anyone in this area should be gathering family members, pets, important documents and irreplaceable items and be prepared to leave. People with special needs should evacuate now. Large animals should be evacuated now.

An evacuation shelter is open at San Marcos High School located at 4750 Hollister Avenue in Goleta. A second evacuation shelter is open at Santa Ynez Elementary School located at 3325 Pine Street in Santa Ynez.