[Update: May 21, 2026, 7 a.m.] Evacuation orders and warnings remain in place. The Foothill Fire doubled in size on Wednesday, growing to 904 acres, CalFire reports. Containment also grew, to 50 percent, with about 200 firefighters working the black line and mopping up hot spots amid shifting winds throughout the day and night.
[Original Story] Part of the Cuyama Valley is under evacuation orders after a small fire that started around 4 p.m. on a hot and windy Tuesday blew to more than 250 acres by 8 p.m., headed toward Castro Canyon. Called the Foothill Fire, the grassland blaze reached 462 acres by midnight, and had destroyed one structure, according to Santa Barbara County Fire. As of Wednesday morning, the fire remained estimated at 462 acres with 10 percent containment. Firefighters from S.B. and Kern counties and Los Padres National Forest are onsite, as are two helicopters and a retardant-dropping tanker.
Sixty-six people are under evacuation order, while another 163 are in the warning area, said Jackie Ruiz, spokesperson for the county’s Office of Emergency Management. The evacuation order is for an area north of Castro Canyon, east of Perkins Road, and west of the Cuyama River; also south of the Cuyama Valley, north of Big Pine Mountain, and west of Highway 33. A warning was issued for areas of Foothill Road south of the county line, east of the Cuyama River, and west of Quatal Canyon. The warning means to be ready to leave. An order means to leave immediately.
Road closures are of Bell Street at Highway 166, Kirschenmann at the 166, and Foothill at Highway 33.
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