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Child dies in crash on Highway 101
GAVIOTA — The northbound lanes of Highway 101 were closed for about five hours Tuesday night following a fatal rollover north of the Gaviota State Beach Tunnel.
A 6-year-old child, who was a passenger in the back seat, died from injuries sustained in the single-car collision, which happened around 7:30 p.m. on a wet highway during the rain.
Javier Gonzalez, 31, was driving the 2003 Nissan in the No. 1 northbound lane, north of the Gaviota State Beach Tunnel.
As Mr. Gonzalez was driving, he lost traction with the roadway, and the 2003 Nissan slid to the left out of control, according to California Highway Patrol Officer C. Chapman.
The Nissan traveled over and down a steep ravine that runs between the northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 101. As the Nissan entered the ravine, it struck a large boulder, at which point, the vehicle overturned and landed on its right side, Officer Chapman said.
The right rear passenger, who was 2 years old; the middle rear passenger, Sonia Gonzalez, 31; and the left rear passenger, who was 6 years old, were transported to Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital in Solvang. The 6-year-old child was pronounced deceased upon arrival to the hospital.
Officer Chapman said alcohol and drugs were not a factor in this crash. The cause remains under investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call Officer Chapman at the CHP’s Buellton office at 805-688-5551.
— Katherine Zehnder
Prescribed training burn plannedLOS OLIVOS — The Santa Barbara County Fire Department plans to conduct a prescribed burn for training purposes between November and mid-December at the Chamberlin Ranch, near Los Olivos.
Prescribed fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. Prescribed burns can help prevent the spread of wildfires and can reduce impacts to watersheds that can result in soil loss and sedimentation.
This burn will be used to train new Santa Barbara County Fire personnel and new Santa Barbara County Range Improvement Association members. Approximately 117 acres of sage scrub and oak woodland will be burned. The burn will occur over one to two days. Once the burn day has been selected, a media advisory will be issued.
Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District staff review the Smoke Management Plan and provide conditions to minimize smoke impacts in Santa Barbara county. The burn will occur when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.
For more information, go to ssl.arb.ca.gov/pfirs/firm/firm.php.
— Katherine Zehnder
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