Update: Forward Progress of Santa Lucia Fire near Lompoc Stopped, All Evacuation Warnings Lifted
Vegetation Fire That Started Thursday Afternoon Had Potential to Spread to 1,000 Acres
[Updated: Thu., Nov. 7, 2024, 3:52 p.m.]
All evacuation warnings for the vegetation fire in the Santa Lucia Canyon area north of Lompoc have been lifted after forward progress of the fire was stopped at 3:10 p.m., according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office. Containment is at 30 percent, according to County Fire.
Crews from Santa Barbara County Fire, Vandenberg Fire, Los Padres National Forest, and Cal Fire remain on the scene of the fire, which was first reported at 12:18 p.m. and has burned around 130 acres near Vandenberg Village, according to incident command. With high winds and dry conditions, officials had warned the fire had the potential to spread to 1,000 acres.
No injuries or structure damage have been reported at this time, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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 were downgraded to warnings shortly before 2:30 p.m. and were subsequently canceled altogether at 3:38 p.m, the Sheriff’s Office announced on X. Residents are encouraged to take caution returning homes as response crews are still in the area and to stay aware of changing conditions.
For an interactive incident map and the most recent evacuation information, click here.
A temporary evacuation point was established at Trinity Church of the Nazarine at 500 East North Avenue in Lompoc. A small-animal shelter was established at 1501 W. Central Avenue in Lompoc.
The fire closed Highway 1 and 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 was closed at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to an alert from Vandenberg’s Facebook. For the latest county road closures, click here. For the latest status on Highway 1, see Caltrans’ QuickMap.
Students at Maple High School in Lower Village were evacuated by bus to Cabrillo High School, where they were to be picked up by family members, said Raquel Zick, a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Five aircraft responded 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 more than 19,600 acres as of Thursday afternoon. An air quality warning was issued for Santa Barbara County on November 6 as a result of the heavy smoke; the warning was updated on November 7 to include the impacts from the Santa Lucia Fire.
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.
Sign up for emergency alerts for Santa Barbara County at ReadySBC.org. To receive alerts for Ventura County, sign up for VC Alert here.
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