Teenagers with fireworks are suspected of starting a small blaze along Farren Road, a steep climb in Santa Barbara County just west of Goleta. Firefighters and deputies were notified of a half-acre blaze around 8:30 p.m. that grew to an acre by the time it was put out and being mopped up around midnight. An evacuation warning had gone out for residents of the area.
A 19-year-old Goleta teenager, Alex Karim Henin, and the younger teens were leaving the scene in a vehicle that matched the description given by the individual who reported the fire, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick. Deputies saw them leaving the scene and stopped them. Illegal fireworks were found in the vehicle, and three were missing from the package, according to Zick’s press release.
Henin was booked into the mail jail; the younger teens were released to their parents.
