Anonymous
Flames chew their way towards CA Hwy-154 early Tuesday morning east of Painted Cave Road in Santa Barbara County (Photo: Mike Eliason / SBCFD)
Source: County of Santa Barbara
At 10:30 p.m. on November 25, 2019, Santa Barbara County proclaimed a local emergency (see attached proclamation) due to the Cave Fire that started burning in the Santa Ynez Mountains east of the intersection of State Highway 154 and East Camino Cielo Road. The wildfire began at about 4:15 p.m. and as of 9 p.m., the Cave Fire burned approximately 3,000 acres with 0 percent containment. The Cave Fire is advancing toward major population areas in the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, and unincorporated areas of the county.
The Cave Fire is causing conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within Santa Barbara County. These conditions are beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of the combined forces of the county’s Operational Area to combat. Additional resources have been ordered from out of the area, which have been arriving all evening. Evacuation centers have been opened for displaced evacuated community members and animals.
The proclamation was made by the Director of County Emergency Services; the Board of Supervisors is expected to ratify the proclamation at an Emergency Meeting on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
The Cave Fire is also threatening Southern California Edison’s main transmission lines that provide power to the southern portion of the county. SCE has been experiencing periodic power outages.
Proclaiming a local emergency is an essential step for local governments dealing with significant incidents. It ensures that all county resources are available for the fire control efforts and supporting activities. Having the proclamation in place helps facilitate potential state funding and a potential Proclamation of a State of Emergency by Governor Newsom.
For information and incident updates, go to www.ReadySBC.org. The public may also call the County’s emergency call center at (833) 688-5551, or 211, text their zip code to 898-211, or if located outside the 805 area code, call toll free (800) 400-1572.
