Alisal Fire

Unit Information

Los Padres National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
1980 Old Mission Drive
Solvang, CA 93464

Incident Contact

Veronica Garza, US Forest Service
Phone: 805-618-8394
Hours: 8:00am - 9:00pm

Highlighted Activity

10/22/2021 Evacuation Orders | October 22, 2021

An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued due to an incoming storm Sunday night through Monday morning with the potential to produce a debris flow. This Warning is effective Friday, October 22 and...

Announcement - 10/22/2021

Alisal Fire photo by Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, @EliasonMike

Image options: [ Full Size ]

October 23, 2021

Yesterday

Crews monitored isolated pockets for potential holdover heat and continued suppression repair in areas identified by Resource Advisors.

Today

Resources will contain, mop-up and backhaul equipment across all divisions. Crews continue suppression repair. In areas of continued suppression, crews will maintain the fire perimeter and suppress any areas threatening the perimeter.

Weather

Cooler weather and moister conditions are forecasted today with northerly winds gusting up to 40 mph. Rain develops Sunday and Monday, with light rain arriving Sunday and heavier rain falling Sunday evening and Monday. Expect rainfall totals of one to two inches and the potential for minor mud and debris flows.

Closures

Los Padres National Forest issued a closure of the Santa Barbara Ranger District in the area surrounding the fire. The closure expires Nov. 19, 2021. A map highlighting the closed area is here and at www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.

Post-Fire Assessment

The U.S. Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Responses (BAER) Team and CAL FIRE's Watershed Emergency Response Team (WERT) continue assessments. BAER members are now evaluating soil burn severity. With those scientific results, WERT scientists can identify hazards and make recommendations to mitigate and prepare for any future flooding, post-fire debris flows and landslides. Emergency managers will then use the science to warn the public of danger and direct them to safety.

Evacuations

Santa Barbara County issued a Burn Area Evacuation Warning, Oct. 22, for west of Las Flores Canyon, east of Mariposa Reina, south of West Camino Cielo, and down to the ocean, due to potential debris flow. Residents should be prepared to leave.

Updates
Stay connected for the latest accurate information:

Incident Information (Inciweb): https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7862
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LosPadresNationalForest
Evacuations: https://readysbc.org

Basic Information

Current as of
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Undetermined
Date of Origin	Monday October 11th, 2021 approx. 02:15 PM
Location	20 miles northwest of Santa Barbara within Refugio Canyon
Incident Commander	ICT3 Hector Medrano, US Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest
Incident Description	Wildfire
Coordinates	34.517 latitude, -120.131 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	289
Size	16,962 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	97%
Estimated Containment Date	Saturday October 30th, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Chaparral (6 feet), short grass (1 foot) Hardwood Litter
Significant Events	Minimal Fire activity with isolated pockets of heat.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Resources will maintain containment, mop-up and backhaul of equipment in all divisions. Crews have begun suppression repair in high priority areas identified by Resource Advisors and where suppression efforts have ended. In areas of suppression, crews are maintaining the fire perimeter and suppressing areas of fire from burning islands that threaten the perimeter.
Projected Incident Activity	12 hours: Little growth potential exists with forecasted weather over the fire area overnight. Minimal fire activity expected, some potential for moderate activity in isolated pockets where hold-over heat exists. Any areas where pockets of unburned fuels, uncontained fireline and fire activity exists there is potential for increase in activity as fuel moistures decrease and dry out. 24 hours: Minimal fire activity expected, some potential for moderate activity in isolated pockets where hold-over heat exists. Any areas where pockets of unburned fuels, uncontained fireline and fire activity exists there is potential for increase in activity as fuel moistures decrease and dry out. 48 hours: Minimal fire activity expected, some potential for moderate activity in isolated pockets where hold-over heat exists. Any areas where pockets of unburned fuels, uncontained fireline and fire activity exists there is potential for increase in activity as fuel moistures decrease and dry out.
Remarks	With the complexity of the incident and the threat to the CA Highway 101 corridor decreasing, resources have been released. Areas of the fire have transitioned from suppression to repair. Resources that are available have been transitioned from suppression to repair. Excess equipment will be reassigned or released. Today's acreage change was due to better mapping of the perimeter, not by growth of the fire past its footprint.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	On Sunday and Monday, rain will develop across the area as a cold front sweeps across the incident. Light rain will develop late Sunday afternoon and evening with the period of heaviest rain falling late Sunday night and Monday morning. Rainfall totals of 1-2 inches are expected with hourly rainfall rates of 0.25-0.50 inches per hour. Minor, nuisance-type, mud and debris flows are possible. Additionally, there will be strong southerly winds, gusting 30-45 MPH, ahead of the cold front Sunday night and gusty northwest winds behind the front on Monday.