Gibraltar fire in Santa Barbara County is 50% contained; evacuation warnings lifted

Evacuation warnings were lifted Friday morning for several Santa Barbara County communities near a 50-acre brush fire in the Los Padres National Forest, officials said.

The Gibraltar fire was 50% contained, said Helen Tarbet, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Forest Service.

Officials initally said the fire had burned 70 acres, but the number was reduced after new data was received from air resources and field observers, Tarbet said.

She said about 250 fire personnel from multiple agencies are battling the fire with the help of four air tankers. At least seven helicopters are on standby.

The large brush fire broke out about 5:15 a.m. Thursday near East Camino Road, three miles east of Gibraltar Road in the national forest area, according to Capt. David Zaniboni of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

At the time, the flames were being fanned by strong Santa Ana winds and led fire officials to issue evacuation warnings for areas north of California 192, east of Cold Springs Road, west of West Buena Vista Drive and south of East Camino Cielo Road.

Santa Ana season starts in September, but it hits its peak between late October and early November.

The fire sent thick smoke over some neighborhoods, forcing the closure of several roads and Montecito Union elementary schools.

Residents in the area are all too familiar with the devastation that powerful winds can bring. In 1990, the Painted Cave fire burned 5,000 acres in three hours and destroyed 427 homes in the wake of strong winds.

In 2008, sparked by a smoldering bonfire on a ridge line overlooking Montecito, the 1,940-acre Tea fire damaged 219 homes.

Fire officials are optimistic about the Gibraltar fire -- even though dry, humid and windy conditions are expected to continue Friday -- because a fire line has been established around the blaze.

“Despite the conditions, the firefighters were able to hold it off,� Tarbert said. “But it’s still not 100% contained.�

Los Angeles Times staff writers Sarah Parvini and Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.

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