UPDATE (9:00 p.m.) Fire officials say the Ballard Fire is 50% contained.
37 acres have burned since Tuesday afternoon.
Officials expect full containment by 8:00 a.m. Wednesday. Crews will remain on-scene until 6 p.m. to patrol and mop up.
UPDATE (4:32 p.m.) - Forward progress of the Ballard Fire has been stopped, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The fire, which broke out Tuesday afternoon in the Santa Ynez Valley near Ballard Canyon and Tapadero roads, reportedly burned about 20 acres.
Fire officials say several homes were threatened but firefighters were able to successfully defend them from the flames. One outbuilding was reportedly damaged.
Crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours putting out hot spots.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
VegetationFire- #BallardFire- SBC Air Support Unit Copter 4 makes a water drop during a 2nd alarm fire off Ballard Canyon Rd near Los Olivos. FF’s making good progress, there were several home threatened, however FF successfully defended. C/T 2:51 pic.twitter.com/fYqFojEbKw
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) June 8, 2021
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UPDATE (4:12 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Fire says firefighters are making good progress on the fire.
While flames were spreading quickly and structures threatened, Santa Barbara County Fire says none have been damaged.
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UPDATE (3:50 p.m.) - Santa Barbara County Fire says the fire has burned 10-15 acres so far and has the potential to burn up to 50 acres. They add that structures are threatened.
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(3:33 p.m.) - Firefighters from multiple agencies are responding to a brush fire in the Santa Ynez Valley.
The fire broke out at about 2:50 p.m. in the area of Ballard Canyon Road and Tapadero Road.
According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, structures may be threatened.
A second alarm was called.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
