Firefighters put out six-acre vegetation fire in Shell Beach
Dave Alley
SHELL BEACH, Calif. – San Luis Obispo County Fire Department/CAL FIRE crews worked fast Monday afternoon to put out a vegetation fire that started just before 4 p.m.
The six-acre fire burned in the hillside just above several homes located along the 2700 block of Barcelona Road, which runs just off Mattie Road and Highway 101.
Soon after the fire began, evacuation orders were placed for homes located closest to the flames, while an evacuation warning went into effect for other homes located further away.
Firefighters with the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department were quickly joined by crews from neighboring agencies, along with aerial assistance.
“We had multiple aircraft, engines, crews, dozers responding to the fire,” said Ryan Grebe, San Luis Obispo County Fire Department/CAL FIRE public information officier. “We had a very aggressive attack from the air, and due to the great conditions in the air, we were able to fly multiple tankers and helicopters, get drops in the right spots, and put this fire up.”
Interestingly, the fire took place on the exact same hillside the burned during the Avila Fire that happened nearly five years ago to the day on June 15, 2020.
“This is in the burn scar of the Avila Fire,” said Grebe. “That does help in that there’s not as much dead vegetation in that area, but there’s still a lot of growth here, so we have to be aggressive and just treat it as if it’s a new fire.”
The Avila Fire burned 445 acres and at one point jumped Highway 101, but the Barcelona Fire never reached the freeway that was full of commuter traffic when it began.
No structures were destroyed or damaged and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
More information will be provided as it becomes available.