Fire severely damages Sycamore Canyon home

By ERIC LINDBERG — April 24, 2010

Unsafe conditions and raging flames kept fire crews from mounting an aggressive attack on an early morning blaze yesterday that severely damaged a three-story home in Sycamore Canyon.

Called to the scene by neighbors reporting heavy smoke and fire at 1:44 a.m., crews found the house at 1790 Sycamore Canyon Road fully engulfed by flames.

“They attempted to make an interior attack and the conditions just weren’t good for it,” City Fire Battalion Chief Pat McElroy said. “So they backed out and went into what is called a defensive mode, which means we were fighting the fire from outside rather than inside the structure. We had floors collapsing and it just wasn’t tenable.”

It took several hours for fire crews to bring the two-alarm fire completely under control and conduct a thorough search of the premises, confirming that nobody was home at the time of the blaze.

“Conditions weren’t good enough for us to do anything other than a cursory search, so it took a while for us to make sure nobody was in the house,” McElroy said.

Firefighters remained at the scene for roughly 12 hours, overhauling the site and ensuring no pockets of fire remained. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

Although neighbors initially called in the fire, officials said reports of smoke came in from throughout Santa Barbara.

“A fire in this area, especially with the history lately, draws a lot of attention,” McElroy said. “It’s in the Tea fire area, so we received numerous calls all through the event.”

Along with four city engines and a ladder truck, the Montecito Fire Protection District also offered assistance during the blaze