Around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, firefighters were called to the Pismo Preserve for a fire that left parts of the beloved hills charred and smoky.
Wednesday morning, some locals who hadn’t heard about the fire were surprised to see the aftermath.
“We were actually walking the beach this morning and you can literally see from the beach and see the black area spot there,” said Santos Rosas, Santa Maria resident.
“When I first got here, I saw a couple of other people that were pointing up to the hill, and so I looked up and I was able to see the burn area,” said Robert Holden, San Luis Obispo resident.
Holden continued his ride, unaware that just minutes later, the trails would be closed for the day.
“When I came down on the far side, the parking lot was nearly empty and there's a CAL FIRE truck here and I was like, what's going on? And then I talked to somebody else here and they said, 'Oh yeah, we closed it a while ago,'” Holden said.
CAL FIRE SLO Public Information Officer Ryan Grebe explained that Tuesday was a high fire risk day, but they were fortunate there wasn’t much wind.
“Luckily, there was a offshore breeze that kind of kept the fire in check, so we were able to contain it without it advancing up the hillside,” Grebe said.
The fire’s cause is still under investigation, but Grebe mentioned it appears suspicious.
In total, about four acres were burned, affecting one trail.
“Fortunately, during my ride, it seemed to be contained to a very small area and mainly grass areas,” Holden said.
The Land Conservancy, which manages the Pismo Preserve, says the Vamonos trail will be closed for damage assessment until this weekend, but the rest of the Preserve will be opened back up on Thursday.
