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F R I DAY, O C T O B E R 1 5 , 2 0 21
Alisal Fire containment reaches 11%
A cow grazes what’s left of the charred landscape in the Refugio area.
Blaze exceeds 16,801 acres on day four By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
A heavy lift helicopter named “Iron Maiden” drops hundreds of gallons of water near Refugio Road Thursday as firefighters battle the ongoing Alisal Fire near the Gaviota Coast.
Alisal Fire crews achieved 11% containment by Thursday evening, up from 5% that morning. The blaze is over 16,801 acres as of the evening update — the same estimate given Thursday morning. Highway 101 reopened at 6 p.m. Thursday after Caltrans and fire departments repaired guardrails and sign posts. The adjacent railway reopened two hours earlier. Although these passageways are open, the evacuation orders remain. Attacking the fire from the air remained a main strategy as three of Southern California Edison’s four Quick Reaction Force arrived from Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties alongside a mobile retardant base and air attack platform. They are type-one helitankers,
achieving the largest When the winds calmed down, classification for the ability to the east side of the blaze showed hold 3,000 gallons at a time. little movement. The addition nearly doubles the “We’re talking days until number of type-one aviation in containment, but it’s all the fleet. dependent on this wind,” A total of 17 aircraft combated Los Padres National Forest the fire. spokesperson Firefighters Andrew Madsen focused on told the Newssafeguarding Press. “We’re Arroyo Hondo Preserve Highway 101 and trying to get the suffered damage during slowing westward firefighters out in the Alisal Fire, but historic expansion. front of it, but then structures remained intact The fire stopped the wind changes.” Thursday. -- A3 in the young He said the vegetation in weather tends to the Sherpa Fire scar, Santa stir up the fires in Los Padres Barbara County Fire Battalion but then puts out the flames Chief Chris Childers said in the as the winds settle or the coast Thursday morning operational impacts the blaze. update. The National Weather Service Crews have anticipated the predicts winds around 7 mph Sherpa Fire scar acting as a today and up to 16 mph tonight natural fuel break since Monday. with gusts from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Chief Childers said the fire in Gaviota. began to spread in the Sherpa Winds Thursday reached 13 Fire scar when the wind was heavy. Please see FIRE on A3
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SR 154 crowded before Highway 101 reopens
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
State Route 154 remained crowded with heavy traffic before Highway 101 reopened Thursday evening. The highway was previously closed as a result of the Alisal Fire. Officials closed the portion
of Highway 101 between State Route 1 and Winchester Canyon Road/Cathedral Oaks on Monday evening as the fire made its way toward the coast. During the highway’s closure, officials directed travelers to travel via State Route 154 or Interstate 5. During the 101 closure, the California Highway Patrol warned motorists to expect
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“heavier than normal” traffic going both ways on State Route 154. On Thursday, Jonathan Gutierrez, the public information officer for CHP Santa Barbara, said it was taking motorists about 50 minutes to get from Santa Ynez to Santa Barbara and about 40 minutes from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez.
Mr. Gutierrez told the NewsPress that there have been a few traffic incidents on State Route 154 this week, though the increased presence of CHP officers has helped “keep traffic in order.” He added that incidents have “slowed down” on State Route 154 because people are driving at decreased speeds. When driving on State
Route 154, CHP recommends that drivers “use the recycle or recirculate mode to avoid drawing smoky air into the car,” Mr. Gutierrez said. The agency is also recommending that drivers drink plenty of fluids while commuting in smoky areas to keep their respiratory membranes moist. To keep up with the latest
information from CHP, follow the agency on Twitter @CHP_ SantaBarb, on Instagram at chp_ santabarbara or on Facebook at CHP - Santa Barbara. For updates on the latest evacuations and road closures, visit readysbc.org/alisal-fire. email: mhirneisen@newspress. com
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L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-14-21-37-40 Meganumber: 23
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 8-0-7-6
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 21-26-56-61-65 Meganumber: 4
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 2-8-11-31-38
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 05-10-01 Time: 1:41.98
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 23-29-47-59-60 Meganumber: 15
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 5-5-1 / Wednesday’s Midday 6-9-9