Find all our updates on the Alisal Fire here .
The fire front for the Alisal Fire stretches across 10 miles of rough Gaviota terrain, riven by canyons and knobby hills of rock, and thick with brush that has been growing for the 66 years that have passed since the Refugio Fire of 1955. Daytime humidity levels of about 15 percent make the chaparral a prime target for the embers flying in the high winds and pushing the flames in all directions through an area that holds horse ranches, avocado orchards, homes, and oil refineries.
In an update Tuesday evening, roughly 700 firefighters were on a fire that had grown to 13,500 acres in size. Containment was inching forward at 5 percent, tweeted Captain Daniel Bertucelli, spokesperson for County Fire. Helicopters were dumping water on the fire on the south side of the mountains, while fixed-wing aircraft were seen working the north side of the blaze. The Alisal Fire not only has a lengthy front but is burning on both sides of the Santa Ynez Mountains.