Santa Barbara County Fire

Firefighters from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara have been helping battle massive wildfires in Los Angeles this month, but the job can take a toll. Heath experts say firefighters can face higher rates of physical and mental health issues.

According to UC Santa Barbara’s Wildfire Initiative, the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires are a wake-up call for Central Coast residents to do their part in fire prevention.

A strong Santa Ana wind event is bringing extreme fire risks to Santa Barbara County. Fire officials said they are on alert, fully staffed and ready to respond to potential fires that forecasters report could “threaten lives and property” due to the dangerous conditions.

An active fire that started on July 5 near Zaca Lake in Santa Barbara County has now burned over 38,400 acres as of July 14, leading to evacuations in nearby areas.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department will use funds from the state of California to purchase a new marine rescue boat with increased capabilities for firefighting and environmental emergencies.

The bodies of 34 victims have now been recovered, after a Santa Barbara dive boat caught fire early Labor Day morning near Santa Cruz Island in the…

UPDATE: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 5:46 p.m.Containment of the Canyon Fire burning on Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in Santa Barbara County was…

UPDATE: Monday, August 22, 2016 at 10:46 a.m.The U.S. Forest Service said Monday morning that the Rey Fire had grown to 23,546 acres with 20 percent…

Central Coast-based fire crews are helping to control some of the dozen or more wildfires currently burning throughout the state.CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo…

UPDATE - 5:53 p.m. on 06/19/2016: Santa Barbara Fire Captain Dave Zaniboni said Friday evening that fire crews had gained 90 percent containment.ORIGINAL…