Santa Barbara County
Gap Fire now 100 percent contained
The Gap Fire, which burned thousands of acres in the hills and mountains above Goleta this month, was declared 100 percent contained Monday.
The blaze, which began July 1 in the Lizard's Mouth area along West Camino Cielo, charred 9,443 acres of Santa Barbara County and Los Padres National Forest land.
The fire was human-caused and the investigation is continuing, said Kathy Good, Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman. Anyone with tips on how the fire started can call 961-5710.
Emergency closures within forest land are expected to be lifted Wednesday, she said, but a section of West Camino Cielo from just west of the Winchester Gun Club to just east of Broadcast Peak will remain closed to vehicle traffic indefinitely.
The extended road closure is meant to protect the road, Good added.
Though the fire has been declared contained, some smoke may still be visible in an area of the upper Tecolote drainage, due to a remaining “hot spot,” Good said, but the remaining heat is not threatening to break through containment lines.
A few crews are expected to remain in the burn area working on rehabilitation efforts. A report by a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team regarding land and vegetation damage from the fire is expected to be completed next week.
Santa Maria
Inquiry continues into shooting
The investigation into Sunday's shooting in a residential garage near Santa Maria is continuing, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said, with no new developments to report since Sunday.
The shooting occurred at 3:10 a.m. Sunday on Sherwood Drive in the Tanglewood neighborhood.
Officers found two slightly wounded people at the residence, a 28-year-old woman reported to be a resident of the house and a 27-year-old male guest. Both were transported to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Sgt. Martin Eberling said that unknown assailants shot several rounds into the closed garage of the house before fleeing. He said the initial investigation was being treated as an attempted murder.
San Luis Obispo County
Body ID'd as missing Morro Bay hiker
The body found Sunday about 100 feet down a ravine near Atascadero has been tentatively identified as missing hiker Lance Erik Leage of Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn said Monday morning.
The hiker was reported missing Saturday afternoon near the Cerro Alto Campground, reportedly after he became separated from a friend along the Cerro Alto trail.
Search parties, including SLO County Search and Rescue teams and units from Santa Barbara and Monterey counties, initially found a bloody T-shirt and a flip-flop shoe, then later found the body.
Santa Maria
Solo-vehicle crash stalls 101 freeway
Northbound traffic on Highway 101 was blocked during the evening commute Monday by a single-vehicle traffic accident just north of Alvin Street in Santa Maria, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Traffic was backed up all the way up to Main Street for at least an hour after a utility trailer being pulled by truck overturned about 6:16 p.m., blocking the second lane and scattering roofing materials onto the roadway, the CHP said.
Arroyo Grande
Surgical center unites with hospital
The county's leading outpatient surgical center - Coastal Surgical Institute - has entered into a partnership with Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and become a member of Catholic Healthcare West, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
The Coastal Surgical Institute, adjacent to the hospital's newly opened cancer care center, has been providing surgical services for more than four years, the spokeswoman said.
As part of the new partnership, the Coastal Surgical Institute will become the outpatient surgical facility for the hospital's cancer care center that opened in June.
The more than 20 physicians and surgeons at the surgical institute specialize in cancer surgeries, general surgery, ears, nose and throat, podiatry, urology, plastic surgery, gastrointestinal procedures, gynecology and orthopedics, the spokeswoman said.
Avila Beach
Blaze damages fitness center
A fire Friday night at the Avila Bay Fitness Center on Bay Laurel Place caused $10,000 in damage even though the flames were contained to a garbage can, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire Captain Josh Taylor said crews responded the fire that started just before midnight and were able to contain the flames to a garbage can, saving a potential $2 million worth of damage to the building.
-- From staff, wire reports
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