Law enforcement officials and the D.A.’s Arson Task Force reported that the White Fire, which recently burned about 2,000 acres on Paradise Road near Santa Barbara, started “as a result of embers escaping an approved fire-use site at the White Rock Day Use Area within the Santa Barbara Ranger District’s Lower Santa Ynez Recreation Area.”
The blaze started on May 27, and was declared 100 percent contained on May 30 at 4 p.m. It caused an estimated $2.89 million in damages.
“The White Fire could have been avoided if this person or persons paid closer attention to their cooking fire,” Santa Barbara District Ranger Pancho Smith said in a press release. “Cooking and enjoying campfires are time-honored traditions associated with enjoying our public lands, but we need to be vigilant when using fire during these extremely dry conditions.”
This article appears in Jun 6-13, 2013.