Quick Response to Santa Rosa Road Fire Prevents Damage
Santa Barbara County Firefighters React Fast to Vegetation Fire East of Lompoc
Yesterday afternoon, November 5, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to and successfully controlled a vegetation fire that started on land bordering Lompoc’s city limit just east of the intersection of Highway 1 and Santa Rosa Road. Captain Eli Iskow reported that six brush engine companies, one water-dropping helicopter, two bulldozers, two water tenders, two chief officers, a hand crew, and a fire investigator were deployed at 3:57 p.m. to the scene of the fire.
The first engine company to arrive described the vegetation fire as quick-moving and approximately three acres wide, burning in grass and light brush. Personnel also reported a westerly wind pushing the fire dangerously close to a structure near its eastern edge. Within an hour the fire was contained and, after three hours, the fire team had it completely controlled.
No one was injured and no structures were lost, a testament to the skill of the team involved. “They got on it in a hurry and kept it from becoming a very large fire,” said Iskow. “It was blowing hard when they got there, so it could have spread quickly. They did a great job.” They were also aided by a brush engine company from the Lompoc City Fire Department.
The cause of the fire is still unclear, but an investigation is underway. Fire personnel from Vandenberg Air Force Base will continue to monitor the area, checking for hot spots and controlling smoke over the next three days to prevent the fire from re-igniting.
