Miscellaneous
On Saturday morning, Santa Barbara County Fire Department personnel responded to a small vegetation fire ignited by the odd but natural phenomenon locally referred to as the Hope Ranch Volcano. The fire caused no threat to life or property. The explanation? The site, which is called a solfatara, flares up periodically due to a natural geologic phenomenon that causes oil shale to heat up and combust spontaneously. KCSB’s Ashley Rusch is joined by county fire spokesman Mike Eliason with more on the story.