Update: Evacuation Orders Downgraded to Warnings for Santa Lucia Fire Near Lompoc

Vegetation Fire That Started Thursday Afternoon Has Potential to Spread to 1,000 Acres

Firefighters respond to a vegetation fire near Lompoc on Thursday, November 7. | Credit: Santa Barbara County Fire Department

[Updated: Thu., Nov. 7, 2024, 2:41 p.m.]

As of 2:27 p.m., all evacuation orders have been downgraded to evacuation warnings for the Santa Lucia Fire, a vegetation fire in the Santa Lucia Canyon area north of Lompoc. Fire crews are currently responding to the fire, which was first reported at 12:18 p.m. and has burned 130 acres near Vandenberg Village, according to incident command. With high winds and dry conditions, the fire could spread to 1,000 acres. No injuries or structure damage have been reported at this time, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

An evacuation order had originally been issued for Lower Vandenberg Village and Providence Landing areas, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Mandatory evacuations were ordered at 1:19 p.m. for areas west of Mercury Ave., all of Celestial Way, and Maple High School. “NO time to pack, please leave NOW,” read an X post from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. All of those orders are now warnings.

For an interactive incident map and the most recent evacuation information, click here.

A temporary evacuation point has been established at Trinity Church of the Nazarine at 500 East North Avenue in Lompoc. A small-animal shelter has been established at 1501 W. Central Avenue in Lompoc.

Highway 1 is closed, as is Santa Lucia Canyon Road on the Highway 1 side. As of 12:55 p.m., travel on Washington Ave. from Utah Ave. and the Lompoc Gate are closed at the Vandenburg Space Force Base, according to an alert from Vandenburg’s Facebook.

Students at Maple High School in Lower Village were being evacuated by bus to Cabrillo High School, where they are encouraged to be picked up by family members, said Raquel Zick, a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office asked the public to avoid the Providence Landing area while evacuations were underway Thursday afternoon in response to a growing vegetation fire in the area.

Five aircraft are responding to the Santa Lucia Fire, according to Cal Fire, with one air tanker leaving the active Mountain Fire in Ventura to help. The Mountain Fire remains at 0 percent containment, having burned 14,500 acres as of November 7. An air quality warning was issued for Santa Barbara County on November 6 as a result of the heavy smoke.

More than 800 firefighters are currently assigned to the Mountain Fire, according to the Ventura County Fire Department, many hailing from Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Los Angeles.