12:48 PM UPDATE:
Santa Barbara Threatened As CalFire Takes A Stand At Hwy 154
No new fires in Malibu or anywhere in LA County.
In Santa Barbara: at noon, the Thomas Fire is split into two prongs, both mpving west. One is in the mountains north of the divide between the coast and the Santa Ynez River Valley. The other is in the foothills between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria.
The goal of Cal Fire is to now stop the northern branch of the Thomas Fire east of Highway 154, the San Marcos Pass. This fire is moving west – on both the south and north sides of the mountain ridge parallel to the 101. It has chewed west and has 10-12 miles to go to the 154 at San Marcos Pass, northwest of Santa Barbara.
The southern branch of the fire is burning the foothills east of the City of Santa Barbara, north of Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria.
It is not clear if the northern branch is also spreading south into Santa Barbara.
US 101 is open. Calif 154 is open. Calif 192 is open. Calif 150 closed east of Ojai, uncertain between Ojai and Carpinteria.
Red Flag Warnings expire in Ventura and Santa Barbara County at 8 p.m. tonight but may be extended into Monday afternoon.
At 11:45, CalFire tells KEYT Santa Barbara:
173,000 acres.
15 percent contained
754 destroyed buildings in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
162 structures damaged.
$25 million spent to fight it.
88,000 people are evacuated.
Fire is directly threatening 15,000 houses.
30 choppers and 6 planes working this.
200 horses have been evacuated to the polo grounds at Summerland, which is now too close to the blaze, and those horses are being evacuated to the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara.
KBUU in normal programming.