Firefighters have gotten a handle on a wildfire that whipped up late Friday night in the hills above Goleta in Santa Barbara County, and CalFire reports crews held the Holiday Fire at 100 acres. As of Monday, the blaze is 90 percent contained.
UPDATE THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018 AT 1:30 P.M.
Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Mike Eliason said after a "thorough secondary assessment," the number of homes destroyed in the fire was revised to ten, down from 13. "There were ten homes destroyed, three damaged, and 14 other structures destroyed," Eliason said on Twitter. All told, the fire burned 113 acres, and the estimated cost to fight the fire is $1.5 million dollars.
UPDATE SATURDAY, JULY 07, 2018 AT 5 P.M.
Officials announced that much of the mandatory evacuation area will be reduced to a warning area on Saturday at 5 PM. Click here to see CalFire's informational page on the Holiday Fire, which includes the latest evacuation boundaries and notices.
No number has been given at this time for the number of structures destroyed and no cause has been determined, but the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said there is currently an active investigation.
Santa Barbara CHP reports Fairview Avenue is currently closed at Cathedral Oaks. The Santa Barbara airport and Highway 101 are open and operating normally.
Mandatory evacuations were called late Friday night from La Patera to Patterson, north of Cathedral Oaks. The county's emergency office says about 2,500 people are evacuated. 2,000 households lost power, according to Santa Barbara County officials.
A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday to provide updated assessment of containment and damage.
UPDATE SATURDAY, JULY 08, 2018 AT 2 A.M.
As of 12:24 a.m. Saturday morning, the county's alert system states, "at this time, evacuations have been ordered for the areas north of Cathedral Oaks to West Camino Cielo Road, and from La Patera Lane west to North Patterson Avenue. If you are in this area, leave now."
Regarding evacuations, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said on Twitter, "alerts were sent to those affected by zip code."
A reported ten to 20 homes and other structures have burned, and firefighters from around the Central Coast are heading to help battle the flames. The fire was first reported around 8:40 p.m. Friday night.
The Red Cross set up a shelter for evacuees at the Goleta Valley Community Center located at 5679 Hollister Avenue.
Santa Barbara County says those needing assistance with animal evacuation should call (805) 681-4332. Large animals are being taken to the Earl Warren Showground and the Humane Society at 5473 Overpass Road.
KCBX will continually update this post as more information becomes available.