Tag archives: sundowner

On November 13, 2008, a wildfire started near a Montecito property known as the Tea Gardens.  The Tea Fire was first reported at about 5:45 pm. Strong sundowner winds with gusts up to 85 miles per hour reignited smoldering embers of an illegal bonfire from the night before.  At the time, Montecito Fire Marshal and […]

The South Coast experienced its first, and hopefully only, significant wildland fire of the 2021 fire season last week. The Alisal Fire started above Refugio, along West Camino Cielo, at about 2 pm on October 11. It was propelled by powerful downcanyon winds — what are locally referred to as “sundowners.” Additionally, much of the […]

When I first met Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor last year, I remember asking him what the biggest challenge was facing his department. “The weather,” he told me, quickly adding that the sheer unpredictability of Montecito’s weather threats, be they fire or rain, made his job uniquely worrisome. This week, I caught up with Taylor […]