COUNTYWIDE : Fire Department Burns 500 Acres

Firefighters with the Santa Barbara Ranger District burned 500 acres of chaparral in Los Padres National Forest Wednesday, officials said.

Plumes of smoke were visible throughout Ventura County as firefighters monitored the fire in the Pendola area nine miles north of Carpinteria, said Kathy Good, a National Forest spokeswoman.

“The fire is going very well,” Good said Wednesday afternoon.

Rangers plan to burn another several hundred acres today, she said.

Good said wind at the burn site was minimal, ranging up to 6 m.p.h.

Forestry experts expect the fires to improve the watershed, enhance wildlife habitat and minimize the chance for more hazardous fires, Good said.