Friday update: There's a new diary for Friday coverage here. Please unrec this and rec the new liveblog diary up. Hopefully we won't need it for long... Thanks!
Update: now called the "Tea Fire" (started at or near the Westmont College tea gardens)
This thing started a little before six tonight, up around Sycamore Canyon, and with 60+ winds forecast all night we may see our worst nightmare come true: Santa Barbara burning. We hold our breath every fire season as much of the hillsides behind us haven't burned in many years and our evacuation routes are often quite limited.
The foothills that make up the back of Santa Barbara are heavy with very dry brush. We've been at "red flag" alert status for months.
The small fire I saw at six has exploded into a major blaze in just over an hour. It's bad and the firefighters are up against jammed roads with evacuees, extreme winds, and rugged terrain. This is very serious.
As far as I've heard every firefighter in the area has responded with help on it's way from the LA area and from up north. They are running helicopters in the darkness and high winds, which is extremely dangerous and should tell you how serious this is.
If you have connections with people in SB, you can follow what's happening here at The Independent, our weekly "alternative" newspaper. The Independent had excellent coverage of the recent Gap fire. You can also go to our local TV station, KEYT. They've been on and off the air tonight but seem to have standby power at this point.
Don't call us if you can help it, our cell and landlines have been jammed.
Wish us luck, it's going to be a long night...
Update: noweasels notes in the comments that KTLA out of LA has live raw helicopter video here.
Update 8:45: I just took a walk and the fire is heading out of control toward the ridge behind the city. It looks like it's spread toward Montecito to the east, and over behind the Mission Canyon area. The fear is that if this wind holds it could attack both areas, heavy brush and no real fire breaks, and come back down into the hills--where many houses are located--and into the city itself. I'm going to calm my daughter and read to her. Think good thoughts...
Update 9:20: noweasels notes (again) that the Independent has posted the first press release:
At 5:45 p.m. today, November 13, there was a fire at Coyote and East Mountain Drive. Winds are 20-50 MPH with gusts up to 70 MPH. A State of Emergency was declared by the City of Santa Barbara at 8:15 p.m.
Four agencies have responded and 15 strike teams are on their way from Los Angeles. There is a major loss of power but not on the Rivera. Seven homes have been reported burned.
Sycamore Canyon and Coyote have been evacuated. Shelters have been set up at San Marcos High School on Hollister Avenue and at Manning Park on San Ysidro Road in Montecito. Small animals can be taken to the Humane Society on Patterson Avenue and large animals can be taken to Earl Warren Show grounds off of Las Positas.
For more information:
Knight Broadcasting
KUHL-1410; KINF-1440 (Both AM)
KRAZ-105.9 and KSYV-96.7 (Both FM)
Rincon Broadcasting
KTMS-990 AM
KTYD-99.9; KSBL-101.7 (All FM)
Plus Rincon’s Spanish language FM stations, KSPE-94.5 and KIST-107.7
UCSB
KCSB-91.9 FM
News-Press Radio
KZSB 1290 AM
Normally it's good manners to thank for the recommend, but I'd rather it be for some pithy, thoughtful, incisive commentary. Think good thoughts.
More Update, 9:35: CBS2 helicopter live raw video feed says LA County Fire helicopter is at SB Airport talking with the SB County fire helicopter to figure out if they can fly tonight with enough control to do some water drops in the full moon. Wow. These guys have some guts.
11pm Update: The wind seems to have let up a bit, reports that the wind has turned onshore, from the ocean, which would be great. At my house I feel a bit of offshore, but it's hard to know since the wind sweeps around the hills...but the velocity is clearly less. Firefighters are streaming in from surrounding regions and they are reportedly making water drops under the full moon and in the dense smoke. The KCAL helicopter live feed is showing many burned homes, probably in the morning we'll see fifty to a hundred burned. At this point it seems that the spread of the fire has halted, or at least slowed considerably compared to the raging inferno we had earlier tonight. We have to hope, or pray--or both--that the wind stays down and the firefighters can form a perimeter around the fire in the morning.