dailyloe.com – A wildfire near Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was stopped on Friday, April 3, 2026. The Plato Fire burned an estimated 22.8 acres before forward progress was halted. The incident occurred approximately 13 miles from the city of Lompoc.
The fire was first reported on the wildfire tracking platform WatchDuty. A reporter uploaded video footage from AlertCalifornia at 1:24 p.m. local time. Initial reports indicated a two-acre fire with firefighters on scene.
Vandenberg’s on-base fire department responded immediately to the incident. They worked to establish a boundary estimate and contain the flames. Mutual aid was requested from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
County firefighters were dispatched to assist with the containment efforts. The fire grew rapidly from its initial size during the response. By 2:13 p.m., WatchDuty reported it had spread to ten acres.
Containment was reported at zero percent during the active burning phase. The fire’s proximity to a major space launch complex raised concerns. Vandenberg is a critical site for national security and commercial space launches.
The final size was confirmed by Incident Command via the WatchDuty app. The update was posted at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Officials stated forward progress of the fire had been successfully stopped.[]
Source: The Santa Barbara Independent
