Evacuation Orders for Alisal Fire Canceled

At 80 Percent Containment, Interior Unburned Fuels Flare Up

A Bombardier CL-415 “Super Scooper” can hold as much as 1,600 gallons of water; a pair of them were used heavily on the Lompoc side of the Alisal Fire on Sunday. | Credit: Mike Eliason / S.B. County Fire Dept.

All evacuation orders and warnings in the Alisal Fire were canceled as of 1 p.m. on Sunday. The fire containment increased to 80 percent on Monday morning — up from 78 percent the morning before — and the acreage was adjusted to 17,254, an increase of one acre from Sunday.

Over the weekend, unburned patches on ridgetops and islands of unburned fuels along the slopes flared up, but fire activity was minimal. Some personnel were released, and the total number on the fire was 1,304 by late in the day.

The mountaintops were blanketed with clouds early Monday morning, and cooler temperatures and higher humidity were expected to help the fire fight, but very strong winds were blowing steadily in some areas of the Gaviota Pass and Refugio, leading to incident commanders’ expectation that unburned pockets of fuel would keep firefighters busy.

Engines and crews are working along the 101 to mop up any hotspots and keep the highway open; motorists are asked to give them a wide berth, said Travis Thane, a Forest Supervisor from Corona who is part of the incident command.

Find all our updates on the Alisal Fire here.