Refugio Fire on Gaviota Coast Fully Contained

Firefighting Efforts 'Assisted by Lowest Recorded August Temperatures in 34 Years'

Firefighters remain on-site of the Refugio Fire, which was fully contained on Monday. | Credit: Los Padres National Forest

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After four nights of battling wind gusts up to 50 mph, crews announced Monday morning that they had fully contained the 86-acre Refugio Fire on the Gaviota Coast.

The vegetation fire started late Thursday night off the 1400 block of Refugio Road and caused evacuation warnings to be issued for parts of Refugio Canyon, which were lifted Friday evening after firefighters halted forward progress of the fire.

Firefighting efforts were “assisted by the lowest recorded August temperatures in 34 years,” wrote the Los Padres National Forest on X. Their firefighters, along with those from the Chumash Fire Department and the Vandenberg Space Force Base, remain on-site to patrol for any remaining heat pockets and continue mopping up.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.