Freeway Fire
updated: Oct 07, 2012, 9:40 AM

By the Urban Hikers

Another freeway brush fire broke out on the ocean side of the 101 early Saturday morning. At about 5:00 a.m. as reported by Roger the Scanner Guy, the small fire began at a homeless encampment between the railroads tracks and the freeway. It was located roughly across the freeway from the Montecito Starbucks. This fire is practically identical to an early morning vegetation fire that occurred in close proximity less than a month prior.

SBFD launched a full fire response. The Battalion chief arrived first on scene and decided Engines 1 and 2 could manage the blaze. Firefighters made quick work extinguishing the flames, but stayed on scene until 7:30 a.m. to guarantee that the fire was completely out.

It's unclear exactly how the fire started, but speculation is that the fire was a cooking fire from the prior evenings dinner. Luckily the weather was calm and there was relatively high humidity. We shutter to think what this scenario could have been if Santa Ana winds had been an issue, especially with the ignition of the eucalyptus trees.

Like Roger we wonder about this situation, and are concerned about the many aspects of not resolving what has become a reoccurring problem along the 101. We can tell you from firsthand experience that wherever there is shrubbery dense enough to conceal, there are homeless encampments. These encampments usually include cooking and warming fire pits as well as outdoor lavatories. Despite giving a lot of thought to it, we don't have the answers to this problem; but we are definitely concerned for the residents who happen to live near one of these encampments.

The first photo is courtesy of SBSF; the others are UH photos.

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