[Updated: Mon., Mar. 23, 2026 5:25pm]
A package explosion at a Carpinteria UPS Store on Monday afternoon prompted evacuations across the Casitas Plaza shopping center and triggered a response from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad before investigators determined the blast was caused by a fire extinguisher inside a parcel.
Authorities said deputies were dispatched shortly after 3 p.m. to the store at 1072 Casitas Pass Road, where employees had already evacuated customers following the explosion. Deputies then cleared adjacent businesses while bomb-squad personnel conducted what Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick described as a “slow and painstaking … very methodical” investigation.
Authorities said there were multiple fire extinguishers being shipped to the Carpinteria store. Only one exploded. White powder released from the extinguishers settled on several employees, who were temporarily detained until officials could confirm the substance was not hazardous.
Roughly four employees and six or seven customers were inside the store when the package exploded, according to a store employee, and no injuries were reported. The store’s owner declined immediate comment.
Earlier in the afternoon, authorities urged the public to avoid the area while the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad investigated the scene. Businesses in the shopping center were later allowed to reopen around 5 p.m. once investigators deemed the scene safe.