Since the middle of the twentieth century , several destructive fires have affected Santa Barbara : the 1964 Coyote Fire , which burned of backcountry along with 106 homes ; the smaller , but quickly moving , Sycamore Fire in 1977 , which burned 200 homes ; the disastrous 1990 Painted Cave Fire , which incinerated over 500 homes in only several hours , during an intense Sundowner wind event ; the November 2008 Tea Fire , which destroyed 210 homes in the foothills of Santa Barbara and Montecito ; and the 2009 Jesusita Fire that burned and destroyed 160 homes above the San Roque region of Santa Barbara . The Thomas Fire burned from its origins in Santa Paula to the east of Santa Barbara and consumed in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties , most of which consisted of rural land and wilderness areas . The fire started December 4 , 2017 and was 100 % contained by January 12 , 2018 . 1,050 structures were lost in the Thomas Fire , mostly east of Santa Barbara in Ventura County . The Thomas Fire has been the largest Santa Barbara County fire ever recorded to date
Jesusita Fire
Jesusita Fire
Santa Barbara, California