Firefighters douse vegetation fire in Goleta

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A coordinated effort by local firefighters headed off a quick-moving brush fire in Goleta, saving a hilltop home and containing the flames to about one acre.
Crews from Santa Barbara County, the City of Santa Barbara and the Los Padres Forest Service responded to the report of a fire at 1480 N. Fairview Ave. on Sunday at around 2 p.m., County Fire Capt. Eli Iskow said.

“It was moving pretty good initially, because it was on a pretty steep slope,” Capt. Iskow said, describing the terrain as varying between grass and medium brush.
Two County fire helicopters circled the scene, dropping water along the head of the fire, while engines and a water tender helped crews battle the flames from the ground. After about 40 minutes, fire officials declared the blaze contained.
Flames came within a few hundred feet of the lone structure in danger, a house at the top of the hill. Firefighters immediately set up structure protection after arriving on the scene, Capt. Iskow said.
“This one particular structure had good defensible space around the house,” he said. “That was of note and helped protect the house.”
While Capt. Iskow said fire investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, he did note downed power lines within the fire area. Southern California Edison workers quickly arrived on the scene to handle the downed lines, he said, and it is unclear if any residences were affected by the incident.