Man Dies in Fire at La Patera Ranch

Early in the morning of 8/8, a fire at La Patera Ranch in northern Goleta killed a man whose identity has not yet been released by investigators. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, but according to firefighters, lack of water on the property made it difficult to extinguish. A second occupant escaped from the house unharmed before firefighters arrived. The fire burned the main ranch house in the historic compound.