Tag archives: fire season

Take Your Spring Cleaning Outside
By Christina Atchison   |   March 25, 2025

The recent rain is a welcome reprieve from the dry conditions that aided in propelling the devasting Palisades Fire near Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire in the foothills of Altadena.  But this is no time to rest on our laurels.  “A few inches of late season rain are not enough to significantly move the […]

Paying it Forward as the West Faces Gnarly Fire Season
By Christina Atchison   |   August 24, 2021

Fire season across the West is off and running, already setting records and causing people to put their evacuation plans into action as flames threaten their homes. With your help, it’s a reality we are optimistic we can prevent in Montecito. Yet, we all must stay on guard for the possibility of wildfire in our […]

Wildfire Season is Upon Us: Here’s How Montecito Fire Can Help You Prepare
By Christina Atchison   |   May 27, 2021

High fire season is officially underway for the South Coast. It’s easy to feel worried when looking at the parched brush, dramatically lacking rainfall totals, and concerning forecasts for warmer temperatures and impending sundowner winds. However, worry is not an effective method for survival. Instead, your Montecito Fire Department is focused on educating and preparing […]

Big Problems Call for Big Solutions
By Sharon Byrne   |   May 13, 2021

High fire season in Santa Barbara County started on May 3, with California coming off a record-setting year. According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBCFSC), a total of 9,639 fires burned some 4.4 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in the state’s modern history. The 2021 fire […]

It’s Personal: Hometown Girl Now Charged with Informing Area About Fire Safety
By Christina Atchison   |   May 6, 2021

As spring nears an end, many of us look forward to warmer weather, backyard barbeques, lazy beach days, and the innate relaxation of the summer season. Yet, the transition to summer comes with a layer of uneasy anticipation.  After studying fuel conditions and weather predictions, the local fire jurisdictions of Santa Barbara County have declared […]

Fire Chief Kevin Taylor on This Year’s Fire Season
By Nick Schou   |   September 3, 2020

Back in January, a standing-room-only crowd filled Montecito Union School’s auditorium for an update on what to expect this year in terms of both fire and rain. The message was exactly what residents were hoping to hear. First, a lower than average chance of the kind of rain events that could lead to another debris […]

Lights Out in Montecito
By Bob Hazard   |   November 7, 2019

Last week, two million fellow residents of the Golden State were intentionally blacked out by their public utilities without a whimper of protest from our publicly elected officials in Sacramento, Washington, D.C., or Santa Barbara County. Fortunately, Montecito, Carpinteria, and Montecito stayed alit, while residents of Goleta woke up last weekend to smoky air, face […]

Neighborhood Fire Prevention Project
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 19, 2019

Since 1994, the Montecito Fire Department has partnered with the community to prepare for the High Fire Season by reducing the density of vegetation along strategic portions of roadways as well as on private property. The intent of the Neighborhood Fire Prevention Project is to assist property owners in improving the defensible space around their […]