On the windy Monday afternoon of November 25, the Cave Fire sparked to life in Los Padres National Forest near Painted Cave, close to the intersection of Highway 154 and East Camino Cielo. Pushed downslope by steady winds with gusts stronger than 50 mph, the fire quickly grew. Evacuation orders and warnings were sent out to thousands of nearby residents and a local emergency was declared. One outbuilding was burned on the first night. At its peak, the firefighting effort featured 600 personnel and ten air tankers. Within 24 hours, fortunately, the winds died down and temperatures cooled considerably. On the second night, a cold front brought rain to the region. The following night, before Thanksgiving, freezing temperatures visit the mountaintops, blanketing the burn scar with snow. The Cave Fire burned 3100 acres; its cause remains under investigation.
