Lightning sparks fires across counties:

Lightning sparks fires across counties

By staff

A thunderstorm over the drought Central Coast brought its share of rain but also sparked at least four fires in San Luis Obispo County and three fires in Santa Barbara County — one near the now-blackened footprint of the Zaca Fire, officials said.

As of 5:30 this morning, the National Weather Service reported that .01 inches of rain fell in Santa Maria; .03 inches in Paso Robles; and .25 inches in Morro Bay — the highest level recorded in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

A more accurate report of precipitation is expected to be released this afternoon.

Officials counted some 2,000 lightning strikes over the Sisquoc River area since Wednesday night, and around 9 this morning, fire crews detected a lightning-caused blaze nearby, said Catherine Hibbard of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

Zaca Fire suppression crews are currently battling the lightning-sparked blaze in the Sisquoc River drainage — about two miles west of the already-contained fire line on Foresters Leap Canyon. The estimated size or containment was not available this morning.

Hibbard also said there were reports of heavy rains in some areas near the fire but she didn’t know how that impacted the flames of the still-burning Zaca Fire.

Santa Barbara County firefighters were also busy in an area south of Lompoc where lightning is believed to have sparked a fire that consumed nearly 20 acres along Jalama Road, about five miles west of Highway 1.

The fire was reported at 4:29 a.m. and was contained by county and Lompoc city firefighters around 6 a.m., said Brian Hayden, a fire engineer and spokesman with the county fire department. No structures were threatened.

Hayden said the department was overflowed with calls Wednesday night reporting “a pretty severe weather system” from the South Coast to the San Marcos Pass, over the East Camino Cielo area and up to the Santa Ynez Valley.

Most of the lightning strikes, however, did not develop into actual fires, Hayden said.

One lightning reportedly sparked a small spot fire in the Painted Cave area but volunteer firefighters from the small mountain community reportedly put it out, he said.

Cal Fire in San Luis Obispo County is currently fighting two vegetation fires — one sparked at 8 a.m. on a mountain near San Luis Obispo and another at 9:40 a.m. in the Santa Margarita area, said Capt. Greg Alex.

No information on the size or containment was available.

Overnight lightning was blamed for two house fires in the northern part of the county — one at 1:15 a.m. in Paso Robles and another 3:30 a.m. in the Los Osos area, Alex said.

No injuries were reported in either of the fires, he added.

Later this afternoon, Cal Fire is expected to fly over the county looking for new lightning-sparked fires, he said.