Evacuations ordered for Montecito, East Ventura County
Updated 12:35 p.m. Jan. 15:
Ventura County issued evacuations in the Woolsey fire burn areas as of 11:07 a.m. Jan. 15.
Mandatory evacuation areas include all of Bell Canyon, Oak Park (specific homes adjacent to the hillsides), unincorporated areas of Thousand Oaks, Sage Mountain Senior Living Facility, the south coast of Ventura County and Malibu areas, Matilija, Wheeler Springs and North fork areas (extending along Oso Road), and residences east of Highway 33 and Casitas Springs in the Vista Burn area.
The county also announced voluntary evacuation zones for Ventura, La Conchita and East Ojai.
Yerba Buena Road is closed from Ellice Street to Yellow Hill Road.
Two evacuation centers are available for the public at Ventura College, 46667 Telegraph Roadd in Ventura, and the Calabasas/Agoura Community Center, 27040 Malibu Hills Road in Calabasas.
The website https://www.vcemergency.com/ also said a series of winter storms are anticipated to continue to impact the county through Jan. 17.
Rain totals for these storms could range from 3 to 6 inches along the coast and more than 6 inches in the mountains north of Ojai. Each of the storms has the possibility to bring moderate to heavy rainfall that can come close or exceed debris flow thresholds for recent burn areas, the website stated.
Montecito evacuations
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders below the Sherpa, Whittier and Thomas fire burn areas, beginning 10 a.m. Jan. 15.
The order went out around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14, advising evacuees to gather family members, pets, and essential items ahead of intense storms expected that evening and the following morning that could trigger debris flows.
Nearby residents should also be on alert, it said.
“In the event of a significant debris flow, people living adjacent to the evacuation order areas, particularly in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, could become stranded if roads become damaged or impassible,” the order said. “Residents in these adjacent areas should be prepared for this possibility and consider leaving the area during the evacuation.”
A map of the evacuation zones can be found at www.ReadySBC.org.
A Red Cross shelter is scheduled to open at the Goleta Valley Community Center as the evacuations go into effect. El Montecito Pre-School and Crane Country Day School will be closed, and Lady of Mount Carmel, Montecito Union School and Laguna Blanca Lower School will move to alternate locations. All other schools, including Carpinteria Unified Schools, will remain open.
County animal services and the Humane Society will accept dogs, cats and other small animals, the alert said, and horses and other large animals can be housed at the Earl Warren showgrounds.
- Contact Marissa Nall at [email protected]
