[Update: Tue., Oct. 20, 2026, 2:50pm] The fire that broke out Tuesday morning off the southbound side of Highway 101 in Summerland has been extinguished, and firefighters were in mop-up phase as of 2:10 p.m., according to Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Battalion Chief Han Domini, who spoke with an Independent reporter from the scene. All freeway lanes are now open, and train service has resumed after the train tracks were shut down for over two hours. Part of the Wallace Ave onramp is still blocked by California Highway Patrol and fire vehicles.
Chief Domini said that the first call Carpinteria-Summerland Fire received reported that the incident was a structure fire. “We had a full structure [fire] response,” he said. “The first engine at scene was Medic Engine 161 from Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District.”
Firefighters from the first engine reported that the fire was actually a vegetation fire, consuming a cypress tree and about a 50-foot-by-50-foot area surrounding the tree. “It did put off a good amount of smoke,” said Chief Domini.
Santa Barbara City Fire sent two engines, Montecito Fire sent one engine and a battalion chief, and Santa Barbara County Fire handcrews 11 and 12 happened to be driving past and stopped to help extinguish the blaze. Since there were no hydrants at the scene, fire engines shuttled water to refill the main engine dousing the flames.
“We had a Union Pacific representative at scene to help coordinate,” the closure of the railroad tracks so that engines could drive on the tracks to access the fire, said Domini. County Fire handcrews cut a line around the blaze while engines put water on the flames, which were extinguished about 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The cypress tree was cut down during the firefight.
Fire crews are currently mopping up the scene, and are anticipated to be done in the next hour or so, Chief Domini said.
[Original story] At about 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, California Highway Patrol received a notification of a tree on fire near the railroad tracks off of the southbound side of Highway 101 in Summerland. Firefighters from the Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District arrived on scene, and Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputies have closed Wallace Avenue on-ramp.
The right-hand lane of traffic was closed while fire personnel worked to extinguish the flames but according to eye witnesses had reopened as of around 1:20 p.m., though the fire was still reportedly burning. According to reports on Watch Duty, the incident command requested the railroad tracks to be shut down. Amtrak lists Surfliner service before 7 p.m. being delayed.
