The ten people suspected of starting last Fall's destructive wildfire in Montecito and Santa Barbara will only be charged for "misdemeanor trespassing and unlawfully building and using a campfire without permission," the Associated Press is reporting. The District Attorney said that he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that their illegal campfire beget the conflagration that spread and destroyed 230 homes and burned near 2,000 acres. The Tea Fire began on November 13th around 5:45 p.m., hours after the group left where the fire began. It was believed that they did not completely put out the fire and winds later sparked up the fire. more ›

They're still burning, but things are calming. more ›

Officials today announced the cause of the Tea Fire, which ignited on Thursday night, burning through today and destroying 210 homes and scorching 1,940 acres between Montecito and Santa Barbara. A group of 10 young men built a bonfire on Wednesday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The men left on Thursday morning under the impression the fire was out, but it was not 100%. The winds and weather conditions that day sparked the fire back up into the huge wildfire Thursday evening. Campfires were not allowed at the time the men were there. more ›

A spokesman for the the state firefighting agency told CNN that officials are looking for person or persons who started the Tea Fire in Montecito that burned into Santa Barbara destroying 210 homes and burning over 1900 acres. "We are calling it human-caused," he said. "We need the public's help in identifying any activity in or around the afternoon of November 13." The fire began in the Tea Garden Estate, a publicly accessible yet "privately owned multiple-acre property about one mile north of Santa Barbara's exclusive Westmont College," according to CNN. more ›

The Sayre and Triangle Complex Fires in the Los Angeles area are still burning, but firefighters are gaining the upperhand. more ›

Santa Barbara County fire investigators have determined the fire's point of origin and that the cause of the fire was human related, although they do not know if it was intentional or not. "The investigation focus is now shifting toward individuals entering the property late Wednesday night and through the early morning hours of Thursday," the County said in a statement. That property they refer to is on East Mountain Drive between the Cold Springs Trailhead and the area known as “The Tea House," hence the fire's sobriquet. The blaze that began Thursday evening has burned 1,940 acres, destroyed 210 homes and is 95% contained. more ›

The Red Flag was called off last night as "fire perfect" weather began to lessen, making it harder for blazes to spread with ease. The conflagrations still burn, however, daily life in the region is getting back to normal this morning. TV News is no longer wall-to-wall breaking news, Metrolink trains are back in operation and freeway closures are few and far between. more ›

* 3 burn injuriesSan Marcos High School continues to be in use as an evacuation shelter, with 40 people currently staying there. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect, as well as evacuation warnings (listed after the jump). For updated road closure information there is a hotline at (805) 568-3006 as well as a website available. more ›

Oprah this morning spoke to Rob Lowe on the phone about the "Tea Fire" burning two miles from her home in Montecito near Santa Barbara. Lowe, who also lives in the neighborhood, was home last night when the fire began, but knew nothing of it until his wife called. "This thing came on so fast, you wouldn't believe it... I walked out [my door] and my jaw just dropped," he explained to Oprah. He did not smell any smoke because of the wind direction. Lowe helped pry open the gates at a neighbors house to rescue them. Lowe's house was undamaged when he spoke to Oprah. KNX1070 has the full audio. more ›

At least 100 homes have been destroyed and 13 people have been injured in the blaze that began yesterday shortly before 6 p.m. in Montecito near Santa Barbara. At least two buildings at Westmont College were lost as well as many million dollar homes--"the Montecito Zip Code the seventh-highest-priced in the U.S., and the median price of a home is $2.9 million," reports Forbes via the LA Times. Officials have asked nearby residents who were not evacuated were asked to curb water use to nearly zero due to the low water levels in reservoirs that water dropping planes are using. 14,000 people from 5,400 homes were evacuated and Governor Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the conflagration. 2,000-2,500 acres have burned. more ›

We were walking down Hendry's Beach, my three-year-old son and my dog and I, just after six p.m. on Thursday night, waiting for the moon to rise over the bluffs and light our way. But something looked weird over the ocean. A thick cloud of some kind. Smoke from a wildfire. When the moon finally appeared, it was blood red and angry and half-hidden by the massive plume. Everything was becoming terrible. more ›

At least 100 residences were destroyed by an uncontained brush fire that was spotted in the Montecito hills northeast of Santa Barbara around 6 p.m Thursday and up to 1,200 more remain threatened, according to officials. more ›