[Update: Nov. 8, 2022, 8 a.m.] The Ward Incident fire was 100 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon, per the County Fire Department.
[Update: Nov. 3, 2022, 2:30 p.m.] The suspect detained at last night's fire along Atascadero Creek was arrested on a charge of arson, the Sheriff's Office reported.
At about 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, deputies and County Fire arrived at a brush fire across the creek from the end of Ward Drive in Goleta. A witness on the bike path near Patterson Road gave a description of the suspect who reportedly started the fire. Close to midnight, deputies located a man fitting the description, Jose Martin Alvarez-Castro, 30, of Santa Barbara, who was arrested for felony arson, misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer, and misdemeanor possession. He is in county jail on $20,000 bail.