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The City of Goleta continues to closely monitor the Cave Fire. Staff are working closely with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service and other stakeholders in our response to the incident.
The Cave Fire broke out at approximately 4:15 p.m. last night, November 25, 2019, in the Los Padres National Forest atop East Camino Cielo Road near the Painted Cave region. The flames and smoke were clearly visible in Goleta and City staff immediately responded to assist in the Emergency Operation Center. Goleta Public Works assisted with placing barricades in the evacuated areas.
Driven by strong winds, the fire quickly moved down the ridge and spread to 50 acres within the first hour. At approximately 8:00 p.m., a Goleta Emergency Operations Center was activated at the Santa Barbara County Emergency Operations Center. By 9:00 p.m. the fire had grown to more than 3,100 acres and parts of Goleta were ordered to evacuate. Mandatory Evacuation Orders are in effect but have been modified. Beginning at noon today, November 26, 2019, the boundaries will be Ontare Road to Patterson Avenue north of Cathedral Oaks.
For their safety, no one should be in this area. An evacuation shelter is open at the Goleta Valley Community Center located at 5679 Hollister Avenue.
As a precautionary measure, Goleta City Manager Michelle Greene proclaimed a local state of emergency.
Public Roads are closed north of Cathedral Oaks from Fairview Avenue to Patterson Avenue. Goleta Public Works placed barricades last night and monitored the situation throughout the night. Today, Goleta Public Works is repairing several traffic signals that were impacted by power outages last night.
In preparation for upcoming rain and the concern for potential flooding and debris flows, Goleta Public Works is pre-positioning barricades in flood prone areas and checking storm drains. Goleta residents should continue to be vigilant and prepared.
Due to poor air quality, N-95 masks are available at several locations throughout Goleta thanks to the assistance and direction of Santa Barbara County Public Health and Direct Relief. Masks are available at following locations in Goleta on a first come, first served basis:
- Goleta Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue)
- Direct Relief (6100 Wallace Becknell Road)
- Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Holllister Avenue)
- Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B)
- Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics (5580 Calle Real and 970 Embarcadero del Mar in Isla Vista)
For updated air quality levels go to the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District website at https://www.ourair.org.
The City of Goleta will continue to monitor the Cave Fire and prepare for the rain that is forecast for tonight and throughout the rest of the week. The City will continue to provide updates as necessary as they relate to Goleta.
It is critical for Goleta residents to be signed up for both County and City alert notifications. Go to https://readysbc.org/ and http://tinyurl.com/goletaemergency.
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