Firefighters Extinguish Large Homeless Camp Fire in Goleta
Photos: Mike Eliason / SBCFD
Update by edhat staff
Santa Barbara County firefighters extinguished a brush fire inside a homeless camp in Goleta on Thursday morning.
Crews responded to reports of smoke just north of The Grove condominium complex in the 7600 block of Hollister Ave around 7:00 a.m. They discovered a large brush fire in a eucalyptus grove near Highway 101 southbound next to the railroad tracks.
The fire had burned approximately 1/4 of an acre before it was extinguished an hour later. Firefighters used foam due to a large amount of debris at the base of the trees. A hand crew then finished up the job to make sure it was fully out.
There were no reported injuries and no one appeared to be in the camp at the time of the fire.
The Amtrak Train was shut down for a short amount of time due to firefighters laying down their hoses on the tracks.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
Reported by Roger the Scanner Guy
Vegetation fire off Highway 101 northbound at Winchester Canyon. The fire is in the vegetation and trees. Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Helicopter 308 are responding with a full fire response.
Below photos by A.D.
29 Comments
Comment has been deleted by edhat
-
4
-
-
Feb 28, 2020 06:59 AMIf you take the train between Lompoc and the South Coast, you can see all the encampments starting in this area, all along the tracks through Goleta, SB, and Montecito. Union Pacific needs to lead the charge and get the Cities and the County and Caltrans to clean these out. You see panhandlers on both sides of Las Positas overpass. They live in these encampments. Standing or walking on these on/off ramps is illegal but the police/CHP do nothing as the panhandlers are there every day. Yes, all residents near these areas are endangered because of the threat of fires, not to mention public health issues.
-
1
-
1
-
Feb 29, 2020 08:52 AMOne more example that our current congressman, Salud Carbajal, fails to protect our coast. He has done nothing to get new federal regulations to prevent this toxic build up along federally regulated railway tracks in his own congressional district. New blood in Congress is badly needed and get someone who actually cares about what is happening right here and right now, right under our noses.. Send Carbajal packing and vote for the other guy Caldwell, who has a clear track record protecting the interests of this district.
-
2
-
2
-
Feb 27, 2020 02:25 PMA hobo spontaneously combusted
-
5
-
2
-
Feb 27, 2020 12:59 PMI have observed some severely overgrown eucalyptus groves in this area. The tree trunks are so close together in some areas that it would be difficult to walk between them. This incident should be a wake-up call to address this problem. These areas need to be cleared, or at a minimum thinned out dramatically. It is fortunate this fire started when it was relatively cool with little wind. However, we have a rapidly increasing population of drug addicts and mentally ill living in these overgrown areas. If we do not take action now to mitigate this hazard, we will see these overgrown eucalyptus groves burn catastrophically. Having said that, I would encourage anyone with property near these overgrown areas to plan for a catastrophic fire. Its a shame some of these groves cannot be thinned and maintained. Instead we will lose them entirely when they burn down.
-
2
-
1
-
Feb 27, 2020 12:16 PMI hope no butterflies burned....
-
10
-
1
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:35 AMAnother bum camp fire
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:29 AMThere is a lot of conflicting information. If it is on the ocean side of the freeway, I apologize. Reports say NB 101 Winchester offramp and the map of the incident on SBCFire shows mountain side of freeway by Timbers / mobile home park.
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 10:29 AMIt was the ocean side.
-
1
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:23 AMNo trains in the area or affected.
-
7
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:20 AMDrove south by it over an hour ago. Looked like a homeless camp caught fire?
-
-
4
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:59 AMWait, so what side of the 101 was it? Mountain or ocean? Was it near the 76 station? If so, maybe not a homeless fire.
-
4
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:11 AMOcean side. I am standing near the fire trucks now.
-
9
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:55 AMFire contained in the vegetation behind the Grove condominiums between 101 SB and railroad tracks. Several units stationed in the complex parking lot for mop up duty. According to a firefighter, it was an encampment.
Fast response, as usual from County Fire,
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 01:18 PMWhat do you mean by "the Grove condominiums"? I can't find anything by that name
-
1
-
2
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:28 AMAfter viewing SBCFire.com, it appears the initial report was that the fire was south of the 101 at the train track near The Grove, but first responders realized it was across the freeway near Timbers. There’s a mobile home park nearby.
-
1
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:21 AMUnless there are 2 fires, the initial report was correct. I saw the flames in the trees on the ocean-side of the 101 while driving past.
-
1
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:14 AMThe initial report was correct.
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:22 AMAny updates? Is it out?
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 09:41 AMTrains just got the go ahead to go through...Per Amtrak channel 161.050
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:51 AMI don't know if it's out at this point not hearing much I know they are on another channel and my digital is not transmitting that channel I don't know why? I'm getting Ventura either way Fire units will be there for some time.
-
1
-
1
-
Feb 27, 2020 08:16 AMIt appears to be by the NB 101 Winchester offramp. Near the Timbers property. So not at the train track, as that’s south of the 101. SBCFire website lists multiple units dispatched.
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:47 AMI'd like to know how it started must be a good sized fire there is a comment on Facebook from Lompoc..
-
9
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:44 AMAnother homeless encampment, wait for it...
-
1
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:39 AMmy brother and a sb county fire crew are heading over from their station on lake cachuma right now
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:24 AMSounds like another engine going in they are on another channel, Train service halted for now..
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:20 AMquite a plume of smoke visible
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:18 AMThey are calling it The Grove Incident.
-
1
-
1
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:15 AMThe fire is on the rail road tracks North Bound at Winchester...
-
-
-
Feb 27, 2020 07:07 AMBlack Smoke reported by SBSO North of Glen Annie..