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SB's Jesusita Fire Calm Now, Some Evacuees Allowed to Go Home
The Jesusita Fire, which broke out Monday in the hilly terrain of Santa Barbara County, has ravaged over 8,700 acres, is approximately 30 per cent contained and appears to be calm and under control as of this afternoon. "Officials estimate that a total of 80 homes have been damaged or destroyed so far," reports the Santa Barbara Independent, who have been closely monitoring the blaze and its impact on the community.
Although things seem to be improving, many officials are cautious about declaring victory, and are keeping their eye on any regions of the blaze that could potentially develop into something more threatening. However, the fire "could possibly be fully contained by Wednesday." Many mandatory evacuation orders were lifted late this morning, and when the news was delivered a cheer broke out inside the evacuation center set up on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.
To track the blaze and to see how the Jesusita compares geographically to other wildfires in the area, the LA Times has been plotting significant action and locations on a Google map.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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