UPDATE (6:11 p.m.): The Alisal Fire has grown to 17,253 acres and is 53% contained as of Saturday evening.
Authorities report the evacuation warning for the area west of Highway 101, including Holister Ranch and Gaviota Beach, has been canceled. The evacuation order in these areas is still in effect.
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UPDATE (2:25 p.m.): The USDA Forest Service says warm, dry and windy weather conditions Saturday afternoon have resulted in increased activity on the Alisal Fire. The Evacuation Center at Dos Pueblos High School has been put on standby status.
Santa Barbara County Fire officials are making progress on the Alisal Fire burning in Santa Barbara County.
The fire broke out on Monday, Oct. 11 at around 2 p.m. in the area of West Camino Cielo and Refugio Road, directly north of Refugio State Beach.
As of Saturday morning,InciWeb reports the fire has reached 50% containment and grew to 17,200 acres. That is up from 41% containment Friday morning and 16,801 acres.
InciWeb is also reporting more fire personnel are on scene. A total of 1,747 fire personnel are working to contain the blaze.
Santa Barbara County Air Quality Watch says good-to-moderate concentrations of smoke are expected Saturday. Tonight, officials say smoke may settle into the Santa Inez Valley. The full smoke outlook report can be found here.
Some evacuation orders and warnings near the fire were canceled Friday night. That includes residences along Arroyo Quemada Ln, and the evacuation warning for the area east of El Capitan Beach State Park, west of Dos Pueblos Canyon Rd, and south of West Camino Cielo were canceled.
For residences in the area west of Arroyo Hondo to the intersection of Hwy 101 and Hwy 1. With the exception of the residences along Arroyo Quemada Ln, the evacuation order is still in effect for Arroyo Hondo Canyon, Refugio Canyon, and the area between El Capitan Beach State Park and West Camino Cielo.
An evacuation center is located at the Dos Pueblos High School upper parking lot at 7266 Alameda Ave, Goleta. American Red Cross is on-site assisting those in need.
Highway 101 reopened Thursday afternoon.
To stay up to date on current evacuation orders and warnings,visit this website.
