Tea Fire , also known as the Montecito Tea Fire , was a wildfire that began on November 13 , 2008 , destroying 210 homes in the cities of Montecito and Santa Barbara , California in the United States of America . It was the first of several November 2008 wildfires that burned hundreds of homes November 13 &ndash; 15 , 2008 . The Tea Fire ignited in the Cold Springs section of Montecito at approximately 17:50 PST on November 13 , 2008 . The fire started at a Mar Y Cel historic structure called the " Tea House " above Mountain Drive , giving the fire its name . Spreading rapidly , it was fanned by offshore winds , known as Sundowner winds that blow down the Santa Ynez Mountains , gusting up to 85 mph ( 113 km/h ) . These winds caused the fire to spread into the city of Santa Barbara . The fire was 40 % contained on the 15th , 75 % on the 16th , and by November 17 , 2008 it was 95 % contained after burning 1,940 acres ( 785 ha ) , and on November 18 , it was 100 % contained
November 2008 wildfires
2008 California wildfires
Tea Fire