Tea Fire

Tea Fire
Date(s)
  • November 13, 2008 (2008-11-13) –
  • November 17, 2008 (2008-11-17)
LocationMontecito, California, United States
Statistics[1]
Burned area1,940 acres (785 ha)
Land useResidential; Open space
Impacts
DeathsPotentially 1[2]
Non-fatal injuries13
Damage$5.7 million (2008 USD)
Ignition
Perpetrator(s)10 college students[3]
MotiveBonfire party

The Tea Fire, also known as the Montecito Tea Fire, was a wildfire that began on November 13, 2008, destroying 210 homes in the cities of Montecito and Santa Barbara, California, in the United States of America.[4] It was the first of several November 2008 wildfires that burned hundreds of homes from November 13–15, 2008. The Tea Fire ignited in the Cold Springs section of Montecito at approximately 17:50 PST on November 13, 2008. The fire started at a Mar Y Cel historic structure called the "Tea House" above Mountain Drive,[5] giving the fire its name. Spreading rapidly, it was fanned by offshore winds, known as Sundowner winds, that blow down the Santa Ynez Mountains, gusting up to 85 mph (137 km/h). These winds caused the fire to spread into the city of Santa Barbara.[6] The fire was 40% contained on the 15th,[7] 75% on the 16th,[8] and by November 17, 2008, it was 95% contained after burning 1,940 acres (785 ha),[3] and on November 18, it was 100% contained.

On November 15, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited areas burned in the Tea Fire, noting: "When you walk around the area that was destroyed, it looks like hell."[9]

  1. ^ "Tea Fire". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. ^ Chawkins, Steve; Sahagun, Louis; Weiss, Kenneth R. (2008-11-14). "Montecito fire consumes 111 homes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "County of Santa Barbara News Release 008, November 16, 2008" (PDF). countyofsb.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Tea fire". Los Angeles Times. 2008-11-14. Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference sanluisobispo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference meagher was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference lompoc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Louis Sahagun, Mike Anton & Mitchell Landsberg (2008-11-16). "Catastrophic fires blaze a path of destruction through Southland". Los Angeles Times.