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Wildfire — Santa Barbara County Mountains, California
May 5, 2009 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
The Jesusita Wildfire burned 8,733 acres of land in the hills above the city of Santa Barbara. The fire was driven by a combination of a large dead fuel bed and gusty Sundowner winds. Automated sensors in the vicinity of the fire reported northerly wind gusts in excess of 60 MPH for many hours which were supported by observations from the fireline. Overall, 80 homes were destroyed and another 15 homes were badly damaged. No deaths were reported, but at least 30 firefighters reported some type of injury. Suppression costs were in excess of $17 million with no report of the amount of property damage.
Other notable wildfire events in California
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.