A wildfire that broke out Sunday near Highway 166 and the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County line has burned more than 1,000 acres. [Cal Coast Times] Shortly before 2 p.m., the Front Fire was spotted in the Rock... (Continue reading)
Authorities found 22 dead cats dumped on the side of a remote road east of Santa Margarita in the Los Padres National Forest earlier this month, according to San Luis Obispo County Animal Services. [Cal Coast Times] Animal Services workers... (Continue reading)
A San Luis Obispo County man who was serving as the battalion chief of a Santa Maria-based national forest firefighting agency died Thursday morning in a crash on Highway 41 in Kings County. Gary Helming, 47, was returning from a... (Continue reading)
A woman’s body was discovered Saturday morning near a public shooting range in the Los Padres National Forest, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. Shortly before 10 a.m., a passerby spotted the body off East Camino Cielo Road... (Continue reading)
The Sherpa Fire in Santa Barbara County is 45 percent contained at 7,648 acres. On Friday night, a lack of “sundowner” winds helped firefighters increase containment. Nevertheless, firefighters worry that the “sundowner” winds, which rush down the mountains in 40... (Continue reading)
Camp San Luis Obispo military units discovered a field of 7,406 marijuana plants while performing training exercises near the border of their property and the Los Padres National Forest on Wednesday. Military personnel then contacted the San Luis Obispo County... (Continue reading)
An ax-wielding man attacked fellow campers, officers and a firefighter during a Saturday rampage at the Santa Ynez River Recreation Area in Santa Barbara County. At about 3:45 p.m., callers reported a fellow camper was combative and appeared to be... (Continue reading)
In the hills above Montecito in Santa Barbara County, a more than 65-acre brush fire is spreading rapidly as northeast winds reach 20 mph with gusts of up to 40 mph. At about 5:15 a.m., the blaze broke out near... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE Exclusive: The two men identified in a plane crash in the backcountry of Santa Barbara have been identified as a San Diego pilot and a businessman, both of whom have questionable backgrounds. The pilot, David Keith Martz, 58,... (Continue reading)
An Arroyo Grande man convicted of impersonating a U.S. forest ranger received a home detention sentence Monday and a $10,000 fine. [Tribune] Prosecutors accused Larry Cooper, a former Arroyo Grande police officer, of using a government vehicle to patrol a... (Continue reading)