Three days after a violent rainstorm dislodged entire hillsides of Montecito's fire-wracked front country, killing 18 people and triggering searches for five more, all available rescue resources, including more than 1,500 boots on the ground, 10 helicopters in the air, and an army of support personnel, remain entirely and justifiably devoted to search efforts while hope remains more survivors could be found.
Authorities say it’s premature to begin scrutinizing public safety preparations, which were largely thorough and robust, made in part by the County of Santa Barbara and the Sheriff’s Office ahead of Tuesday’s record-breaking storm. “There will be an appropriate time when everything will be assessed, and we will take a look at what happened,” Sheriff Bill Brown said Thursday. “Now is really not the appropriate time to do that.”
Still, many have been unable to stop themselves from questioning the adequacy of the evacuation orders and warnings issued Sunday afternoon by the Sheriff’s Office. While a large portion of Montecito was placed under a mandatory evacuation order ― neighborhoods populated with 7,000 residents along the northern edge of town, closest to the Thomas Fire burn scar ― the rest of the community was issued a voluntary evacuation warning. Approximately 23,000 people lived in the voluntary area.
