SANTA BARBARA , Calif. (AP) - The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has ordered about 3,000 residents to evacuate ahead of a new storm expected to hit areas scarred by wildfires, including parts of Montecito hit by a disastrous debris flow just over a year ago.
Residents of risk areas below the Thomas, Whittier and Sherpa fire burn scars were told to leave their homes by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Sheriff Bill Brown told a press conference Monday that the storm is expected to be more intense than the last several storms.
A map published by the county Office of Emergency Management indicates that much of Montecito is at risk.
A January 2018 debris flow from the Thomas fire scar destroyed or damaged hundreds of Montecito structures, killed 21 people and left two others missing.
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