Sherpa Fire: Mandatory evacuations for Refugio, Venadito, Las Flores canyons

This story is no longer being updated as of 7 p.m.

The Sherpa Fire has spawned mandatory evacuations for Refugio Canyon, Venadito Canyon and Las Flores Canyon, according to an alert from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. The evacuations include a refinery.

The brush fire also led to an evacuation warning for El Capitan Canyon and El Capitan State Beach, with the Sheriff's Department asking residents to be ready to leave if necessary. There were 235 phone lines called with reverse 911 calls, including both mandatory evacuation and evacuation warning areas, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The fire started off of Refugio Road near the Scherpa Ranch, Los Padres National Forest fire information officer Jennifer Gray told KPCC. It was burning in the Las Flores Canyon toward West Camino Cielo.

The fire started between approximately 3:30 p.m. and 3:35 p.m., Gray said. The Forest Service was in unified command with Santa Barbara County, with air resources being used to fight the fire.

The cause was unknown and remained under investigation, Gray said.

Clarification: Multiple spellings of the fire name have been used by various public agencies. For now, KPCC has opted to match the spelling used by Cal Fire and Inciweb, the multiagency fire incident tracking system.