08/31/2026
On August 27, 2026, Carpinteria-Summerland FD was dispatched to assist Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) Santa Barbara County Sheriff for a smoke investigation in the dense vegetation between the 5400 and 5500 block of Carpinteria Avenue. Upon arrival, just after midnight, CSFD Medic Engine 61 (Captain Johan Nilsson, Engineer Taylor Barnett, and Firefighter/Paramedic Max Klett) observed a bright orange glow and flames coming from a moderate to heavy vegetation area on the Carpinteria Creek bike path.
After getting a closer look, the call was upgraded and CSFD Medic Engine 62 was (Captain Dave Baker, Engineer Kenan Marting, and Firefighter/Paramedic Camila Shafer) requested to assist with a fully involved hidden subterranean structure that was confirmed as a homeless encampment. CSFD Battalion 65 (BC Brian Roberson) managed the expanded incident operations, and CSFD crews aggressively attacked the fire and extinguished it using foam operations, stopping the spread of the fire within the vegetation or to any the nearby structures on opposite sides of the creek path area. In addition, CSFD Fire Marshal/Fire Investigator (Mike LoMonaco) was requested and responded to deploy CSFD’s Drone 1 to provide real-time aerial intelligence, thermal hotspot detection, and precise perimeter mapping.
No injuries were identified, and the fire is under investigation. Additionally, the CSFD has been coordinating with the SBSO’s and the City of Carpinteria City of Carpinteria Code Enforcement Division to follow up on the homeless encampment/subterranean bunker area that has been identified as having a history of being a problem and safety risk in the area, as well as the individual identified as potentially being responsible for the incident.