Single Publication

Lake Fire Start: Friday, July 5, 2024 at 3:48 p.m.

Cause: Under investigation

Location: Near Zaca Lake in Santa Barbara County, north of Los Olivos, California

Size at time of update: 36,707 acres

Containment: 16%

Personnel: 3,411

Full Incident Details: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/calpf-2024-lake-fire

Media Assets: Official 2024 Lake Fire Photos and Videos

The Lake Fire is split into a North and South Zone as the fire expands in acreage and personnel. The fire remains under Unified Command with California Complex Incident Management Team 13, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara County Sheriff and CAL FIRE, with two fire camps to support firefighting efforts. 

North Zone Fire Activity: On the north end, the fire continues to slowly back down to the Sisquoc River.  Fire crews have spent several days preparing this area to hold the fire at the river. The fire is slowly working its way down Lion Canyon. To the east, the fire continues to hold along Zaca Ridge. On the south end, the fire continues to actively move south and east through the Davey Brown area, Ranger Peak and Goat Rock areas. Once holding lines are secure, tactical firing operations will be used in the coming days to reduce burnable fuels ahead of the fire. Ground crews continue to work with various aircraft as needed to assist with suppression tactics.

South Zone Fire Activity: Firefighters have conducted firing operations to create a buffer zone in areas of the fire, and they continue to strengthen control lines, identifying and extinguishing any remaining hot spots within the fire perimeter. Today, crews continue to actively fight fire while working on strengthening containment and control lines. 

Forecast for Friday: No significant changes are expected. Winds will remain in a westerly direction, with speeds generally light at 5-10 mph and gusts up to 15 mph, with some local gusts reaching 25 mph on ridges above 3500 feet. Afternoon highs will return to the 90s to near 100, with relative humidity values dropping to 10-20%. 

Smoke: The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) have updated the Air Quality Alert which includes the Santa Ynez Valley and other areas in close proximity to the Lake Fire. 

Los Padres National Forest  recreation areas with the Santa Barbara and Santa Lucia Ranger Districts may be impacted by smoke and ash from the Lake Fire. A portion of the Los Padres NF is closed, please refer to the Closure order and Closure map for further information. 

Evacuation Areas: https://www.readysbc.org/4275/Lake-Fire-Incident---July-2024 Register for emergency alerts at ReadySBC.org.

  Road Closures: Visit the County Road Closure Map for more details.

• Happy Canyon Road at the Forest Service Boundary
• Foxen Canyon Road from Zaca Station Road to Tepusquet Road
• Figueroa Mountain Road at 1/2 mile north of Highway 154
• Calzada Avenue and Brinkerhofff Avenue at Roblar

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