One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Sherpa Fire: Mandatory evacuations for Refugio, Venadito, Las Flores canyons
A screenshot of footage of the Scherpa Fire on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
(
NBC L.A.
)
A screenshot of footage of a handcrew near the Scherpa Fire on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
(
NBC L.A.
)
A screenshot of footage of the Scherpa Fire on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
(
NBC L.A.
)
This story is no longer being updated as of 7 p.m.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.
Sponsored message
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.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
