Residents return home as weather conditions improve
Jesusita Fire is now 80-percent contained
Kenny Lindberg
Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: News
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Nearly 30,000 residents were forced out of their homes, and another 20,000 faced voluntary evacuations, as firefighters from across the state fought to contain the fire.
It destroyed or damaged 100 homes and cost the community about $13.5 million dollars to contain, of which 75-percent will be paid for by the federal government.
"This is probably the worst emergency we've had in Santa Barbara for the last 25 years," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said last Thursday in a press conference.
Fire officials are unsure what caused the blaze or who may be responsible, but they suspect that some sort of power tool being used in the brush caused the fire.
The fire started at around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday in the Cathedral Peak area. Intense sundowner winds helped the fire grow substantially in its first few days.
City College was forced to close its doors on Friday and Saturday, because so many people were affected by the fire, and unable to show up to work. An air quality warning was issued by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.
Santa Barbara had the worst air quality in the country last Thursday, according to AirNow, a U.S. government Web site.
The blaze injured 28 firefighters, a number fire officials are content with, given the enormous size of the fire.
A DC-10 fire aircraft was deployed last Friday to help contain the blaze. It made a total of four drops-all with about 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant per drop.
The governor declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara, when he came down to the area on Thursday.
The decision means that the Federal government will pay 75-percent of fire costs, a clause in accordance with FEMA's Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.
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