Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to a two-alarm blaze near the Gaviota hot springs just before 6 a.m. on 9/15. The short-lived fire completely destroyed a converted garage residence at 300 Highway 1, while burning about half an acre of surrounding brush and damaging part of the adjacent house. Despite the fact that the converted apartment was without a fire alarm, the residents-including a woman in a wheelchair-escaped unharmed.
