Four small exterior fires occurred on July 2-3 in Isla Vista and Goleta and were extinguished within the hour by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. No injuries were reported, and the cause has yet to be determined.

The arson reports included two dumpster fires at 6750 El Colegio Road which were extinguished within the hour. Courtesy of Scott Safechuck

Police responded to four separate reports of arson, including two dumpster fires at 6750 El Colegio Road, a furniture fire at 6643 Abrego Road, a spot fire — a fire started because of flying sparks — at Girsh Park and a small fire at 6711 El Colegio Road that resulted in minor building damage, according to an emergency alert at 12:49 a.m. on Wednesday, July 3. 

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department extinguished the fires at the four locations an hour later, according to another alert sent at 1:19 a.m. A final alert was sent at 1:32 a.m., stating that no suspects were in custody. There is no information on suspects as of now. 

Santa Barbara County Fire Department Public Information Officer Scott Safechuck said the cause of the fires is still under investigation in a statement to the Nexus. 

According to a UC Santa Barbara Police Department (UCPD) statement released on July 3, the department received another arson report sometime in the morning regarding a burnt picnic table at the Storke Family Student Housing community garden. The incident itself is believed to have occurred the week prior but the exact date and time are currently unknown. 

These events come after similar arson reports on March 12 and June 9 regarding small fires at Storke Family Student Housing. 

The Nexus will continue to report on this topic as more information becomes available.

Michelle Cisneros

Michelle Cisneros (she/her) is the Community Outreach News Editor for the 2024-25 school year. Previously, Cisneros was the Assistant News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. She can be reached at michellecisneros@dailynexus.com or news@dailynexus.com.