LPNF releases cause of Whittier Fire, 2/5/18

Los Padres releases cause of the Whittier Fire

GOLETA, Calif. — Los Padres National Forest officials today announced the investigation into the cause of the Whittier Fire has been completed. The investigation determined that a passenger vehicle driving through tall grass on the hillside above Camp Whittier ignited the fire.

No criminal charges have been filed. Due to the age of the driver, no additional details of the investigation will be made public at this time.

The Whittier Fire broke out July 8 on Bureau of Reclamation land and quickly spread onto National Forest System lands on the Santa Barbara Ranger District. The fire burned 18,430 acres before being fully contained on October 5, although the fire did not increase in size after July 20.