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UPDATE: Forward progress of brush fire in Goleta Valley stopped

Posted at 11:58 AM, Jun 12, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-13 01:03:19-04

UPDATE (2:07 p.m.) - Firefighters say the Mockingbird Fire that broke out Friday morning in the More Mesa area of the Goleta Valley burned 8-9 acres and is 75 percent contained.

An evacuation warning was ordered for homes in the area of Vieja Drive and Calle Las Brisas, but that has since been lifted.

"It got pretty close (to the homes)," said Capt. Daniel Bertucelli, Santa Barbara County Fire Department. "There's some thick vegetation, some eucalyptus trees that are behind the houses and when it got in there, the fire slowed down but it began to burn a little more intensely."

Firefighters from Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara City, and Montecito Fire, along with a county helicopter, responded to fight the fire.
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UPDATE (12:57 p.m.) - Firefighters report that forward progress of the fire has been stopped and evacuation warnings have been lifted.
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UPDATE (12:36 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Fire says the Mockingbird Fire has burned between five and seven acres.

It reportedly started as three different spot fires that burned through grass, pushed by a moderate onshore wind toward heavier vegetation and eucalyptus groves that backed up against houses on Vieja Drive and Calle Las Brisas.

An evacuation warning for those areas remains in effect but is expected to be lifted soon.
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UPDATE (12:16 p.m.) - The Mockingbird Fire is reported to be about five acres in size.

Firefighters say ground and air crews are making good progress and fire activity has diminished significantly.

Evacuation warnings remain in place but are expected to be lifted soon, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
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(11:58 a.m.) - Firefighters are battling a brush fire in the More Mesa area of the Goleta Valley.

It was first reported at about 10:50 a.m. in the area of Mockingbird Lane and Calle Las Brisas.

Evacuation warnings have been issued for Vieja Drive and Calle Las Brisas.

This is a developing story and will be updated.