Update: Firefighters Stop Forward Progress of Vegetation Fire on Santa Rosa Road Outside Lompoc

[Update: Tue., Sept. 17, 2024, 5:20 p.m.] The Rosa Incident was at 47 acres with 95 percent containment late Monday afternoon, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Scott Safechuck.

[Update: Mon., Sept. 16, 2024, 3:50 p.m.] At 2:56 p.m., firefighters were able to stop forward progress of the Rosa Incident, a vegetation fire that began late Monday morning on the 4000 block of Santa Rosa Road outside Lompoc.

Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Scott Safechuck said that firefighters working through 10-to-15-foot brush in windy conditions were able to hold the blaze to 20-30 acres with the help of air attacks from helicopters and fixed-wing air tankers, that latter of which have since been called off. One helicopter was staying on the scene to assist ground resources, which include firefighters, engines, and bulldozers, and “personnel will work through the night to increase containment lines and mop-up hot spots,” he said.

Final acreage will be released following a survey of the burn area, Safechuck said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

[Original Story] A vegetation fire broke out Monday at around 11 a.m. in a rural area outside of Lompoc adjacent to Highway 1 and the 4000 block of Santa Rosa Road, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Scott Safechuck.

Access to the 2nd-alarm fire is limited, Safechuck said, and firefighters on the ground are attempting to get to the fire — named the Rosa Incident — from multiple points of entry. In the meantime, a total of four air tankers and two helicopters have been ordered to the fire, which air attack estimated at 15-20 acres as of 12:12 p.m.

Safechuck said the fire was spreading at a moderate rate and is a backing fire, meaning it’s spreading against the wind. Winds in the area are currently blowing at 15 mph, with gusts up to 22 mph, according to the National Weather Service and NOAA, with relative humidity currently hovering around 60 percent.