The original reports of the fire that broke out May 13 near San Miguelito Road in Lompoc were a little scary: 1,200 structures were threatened by the fire and evacuated that afternoon.
Videos and photos posted online of the fire show flames on hillsides directly behind residences. Luckily, the fire occurred during a week that the Santa Barbara County Fire Department upped its staffing levels due to hot and dry weather coupled with Santa Ana winds.
Firefighters flooded in from other parts of California to help the Lompoc and Santa Barbara County fire departments battle the blaze: An air tanker dropped several massive loads of orange-colored fire retardant, fire crews dug fire lines to protect residences and to prevent the fire from spreading. Winds were gusting from 6 to 15 miles per hour.
Evacuees were allowed back into their homes before 9 p.m. that evening. The crews had the flames and hot spots out in three days.
Capt. David Sadecki, spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said battling the blaze cost approximately $1.2 million with 550 personnel. The burn charred 632 acres.
The cause of the fire: untrimmed trees coming into contact with a live power line.
In a press release, Sadecki said a 12,000-volt power line came into contact with a tree, causing embers to drop down and ignite the dry brush along the hillside near San Miguelito Road.
Sadecki told the Sun that staffing levels were back to normal with the cooling trend that followed the hot and dry weather.
This article appears in May 22-29, 2014.