[californiadisasters] Whittier Fire Caused by Auto Driving Through Dry Grass

Investigators Say Vehicle In Dry Brush Sparked Santa Barbara County's Destructive Whittier Fire

By Lance Orozco • NPR for the California Coast

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  A jumbo jet converted into an air tanker make a drop on the Whittier brush fire in July, 2017

  (Photo by Mike Eliason, Santa Barbara County Fire Department)

Investigators say a teenager driving a vehicle through tall grass accidentally triggered last summer's destructive Whittier brush fire in Santa Barbara County.

It was a fire which raged out of control for weeks, threatening homes and prompting some evacuations. The blaze burned more than 18,000 acre of land and destroyed 16 homes.

U.S. Forest Service officials say it was started by a vehicle July 8th which  was being driven near Camp Whittier. That's off of Highway 154 south of Lake Cachuma.

They say no criminal charges have been filed. Because of the age of the driver, the name isn't being released. It took nearly three months to contain the blaze, which burned over the top Santa Ynez mountain range and threatened ranches and homes northwest of Goleta.

Source: http://kclu.org/post/investigators-say-vehicle-dry-brush-sparked-santa-barbara-countys-destructive-whittier-fire

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Kim Noyes about.me/kim.noyes

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Posted by: Kim Noyes <kimnoyes@gmail.com>

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