Fire at the fire station

Montecito Fire Station 92 damaged by structure fire

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire at Montecito Fire Station 92 on Saturday night determined that the fire started in the firebox of the fireplace in the dayroom of the fire station, Montecito Fire officials said Sunday.

Fire investigators determined that the fire extended out of the firebox and into the wall behind the firebox, said Christina Favucci, Montecito Fire public information officer.

“Smoke and flames then traveled up the wall from the first floor to the second floor and into the attic,” she said. “To bring the fire under control, firefighters were required to cut open affected walls of the fire station.”

As a result of the fire and subsequent fire attack, Station 92 sustained considerable damage to the dayroom, an upstairs bedroom and bathroom, the attic and the chimney. The total cost of the damage is being calculated.

While the fire station is being repaired, Montecito firefighters will be housed on-site at Station 92 in a temporary, mobile housing unit.

“Montecito Fire Department thanks Anthony Borgatello with All Clean Emergency Services for quickly assisting us with establishing temporary housing so that we can ensure the entire fire district remains covered for emergency response,” she said. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

The fire began at 7:20 p.m. Saturday when on-duty firefighters noticed the smell of smoke in the building and conducted a search to find the source of the smoke. Light smoke was filling the first and second floors of the fire station at 2300 Sycamore Canyon Road.

Firefighters at the station called for a first-alarm structure fire response and brought the fire under control within an hour. Firefighters were challenged by fire extension into the walls on the first and second floors of the fire station, as well as the attic. The extent of the fire’s damage required extensive overhaul work by firefighters.

Cold Springs Road at Sycamore Canyon Road was closed during the emergency response. More than 40 firefighters responded to the fire from Montecito Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire Department, Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District and Santa Barbara County Fire Department. No one was injured as a result of the fire.

People and local politicians brave A rainstorm to rally at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on Saturday in support for Ukraine and to mark the first anniversary of the country’s defense against a Russian invasion.

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of News-Press articles about efforts to support Ukraine.

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, World Dance for Humanity held a rally in support of Ukraine at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

World Dance for Humanity has also partnered with the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Santa Barbara to raise more than $200,000 for Ukrainian refugees and wounded soldiers.

“It (the rally) was incredible. It started out not raining, but it was pouring by the end. It was totally perfect because it gave us

FYi

You can listen to Brad Paisley’s song, “Same Here,” at: https:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qt3WVHLywto, The song features Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Santa Barbara-based World Dance for Humanity also holds weekly Zoom calls on Sundays at 10 a.m. called “Dance and Dialogue.”

World Dance describes the Zoom sessions as a cultural experiment that may be unique in the world. The nonprofit is inviting viewers around the world, including Ukrainians in Ukraine, to join the organization in its Sunday Zoom class so people can, for an hour, be present in each other’s lives. You can join the Zoom call at the following link: https://zoom. us/j/823393549#success.

UKRAinE: OnE YEAR LATER

a tiny feeling of Ukraine, except in Ukraine you can’t go home and turn on the heat,” Janet Reineck, director and founder of World Dance for Humanity, told the News-Press.

Rally speakers included 1st District Supervisor Das Williams, Assemblyman Gregg Hart (DSanta Barbara), U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Erica Reyes from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s office, District Attorney John Savrnoch, Ms. Reineck, Aazam

Please see UKRAINE on A4

Carp Council to offer suggestions on housing policies

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

In an effort to protect and preserve the Carpinteria Valley’s rich agricultural heritage, the City Council is expected today to approve proposed correspondence to Santa Barbara County planners regarding the county’s Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update.

“The City of Carpinteria has been closely following the County Housing Element Update process,” notes the letter to be sent to the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department Long Range Planning Division.

“We appreciate the challenges faced by the County and other local jurisdictions, ourselves included, in crafting a Housing Element Update that satisfies our respective regional housing needs assessment (RHNA) allocations and meets HCD’s high bar for certification.

“We recognize the need for all areas of the County to share in meeting regional housing needs and that difficult decisions must be made concerning where and how to accommodate needed housing.” cooperation and collaboration on housing policies that best serve the Carpinteria Valley and its residents. ln consideration of the need to provide the state-mandated housing and, in particular, affordable housing, in southern Santa Barbara County, “we are requesting two items: Modifications to the proposed housing sites in the Carpinteria Valley; and county commitment to implement policies and programs aimed at preventing displacement and promoting affordable housing,” the letter reads.

Carpinteria leaders, however, believe the county went too far initially in locating too many sites where housing could be built right outside the Carpinteria urban boundary which, if built, would impact local rural agriculture, diminish local water supplies, increase traffic and strain city resources. They pushed back and county planners have reduced the number of likely sites.

“The Carpinteria Valley Agriculture remains an important element of the Carpinteria Valley’s identity and economic base, and the desire to protect and preserve the Valley’s agricultural heritage going forward is critical.”

Carpinteria officials contend that State Housing Element Law requirements to plan for adequate housing sites do not take precedence over the Resource Protection policies of the California Coastal Act, and as embodied in the policies and regulations of county and city respective Local Coastal Programs.

The County’s Draft Housing Element “fails to adequately take into account” Coastal Act resource protection policies that call for agricultural buffers “and the need to protect agricultural lands/ operations from urban residential development.

Ukraine-related items are sold at the Santa Barbara Courthouse with proceeds going to support Ukrainians.

Feiz (a professor at UCSB)

Now, with this letter, dated Feb. 28 anticipating the council’s approval, the city council is offering additional suggestions “in the spirit of interagency

“Our position that high density urban development is not appropriate for rural agricultural areas along the city’s edges is further supported by numerous adopted policies found in both the County’s and City’s respective certified LCPs, including but not limited to county Comprehensive

Please see CARP on A2