Montecito Tea Fire Caused by Student Bonfire. Some quick to consider Westmont. Authorities:"Students belong to SB City College"

It's interesting that little has been mentioned about the Tea House being on private property. As I understand it, there is a locked gate one must crawl under/over to gain entrance in order to trespass on this privately owned property. And where does the wood come from for the bonfire? It would seem this "outing" would require a lot of effort and preplanning.

Everyone should focus on rebuild efforts at this I point I think. Along with giving to the red-cross several efforts will develop over the coming weeks to help find housing for displaced residents and victims of the fire. Myself, I will be making all efforts possible to help victims of the fire. I will be having an Art-Photo show in January.  A portion of the proceeds will go to funds for victims of the Tea Fire that are left picking up the pieces.

Patrick Price, as others, used their preexisting prejudice against Westmont as a chance to kick them while they are down.

How about an apology for spreading the rumor that the fires were started by Westmont students?

You should be embarrassed by implicating anyone is this incident until it is reported by a credible source.  I have a credible source that has confirmed that NO WESTMONT STUDENTS WERE INVOLVED IN THE FIRE.  This is a fact and you are a rumor-monger.  Shame on you!

The article was changed, and no Westmont students are being accused as of right now. This is not a rumor. The article states facts. The 10 people whom are believed to be responsible for the fire are college students, and they all go to the same school. Which school is yet to be released to the media.

Although the media has been speculating that, due to the proximity of Westmont College, the fire was started by students who attend the school, the fire department has stated that the suspects they are questioning are not Westmont students.

Patrick Price: Please do your research.

My post never said Westmont students were responsible.  I'm flattered that my images are so persuading, but really the facts are right there and the post is non biased and based on facts.

Allen, if you could read, you would see that I never stated Westmonts students were, in fact, responsible for the fire. And when I did mention Westmont students in my previous edit of the article, it was in the context of possibility. I did my research, and listed factual info. Please don't make this a personal protection campaign for Westmont. And please list a link or a quote for "the fire department has stated that the suspects they are questioning are not Westmont students." listed from your comment. Please be thorough. Thanks!

This is extracted from the Westmont College Website home page and is part of the "Tea Fire Update from President Gayle Beebe"http://www.westmont.edu/
".....1. Were any Westmont students involved in causing the fire?

No. On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m., Drew Sugars, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, officially informed the college that no current Westmont students were present nor in anyway involved with this tragic incident.

We have been in regular contact with investigators since the fire and have been providing any information that might be helpful toward determining the exact cause of the fire. This is our responsibility as a community citizen. Our surrounding coastal region is home to many colleges and universities, and like all of them, we are awaiting new information.

It should be noted that at this point, the group of individuals responsible for starting the fire are under the jurisdiction of law enforcement authorities. Again, no current Westmont students were involved with this incident...."

is that confimed? we all want to know

Tea Fire Update from President Gayle Beebe

Dear students, faculty, staff and friends:

It has nearly been a week since the Tea Fire ravaged our campus and 

the larger Montecito and coastal community. Our thoughts and prayers 

are with all devastated by this fire as each of us affected 

throughout the region continues to face the reality of having our 

everyday lives turned upside down.

Due to the close proximity of the college to the off-campus site of 

the fire, we have been inundated with questions from many concerned 

audiences. I'm sure that you have also been contacted as a source of 

information by friends and family.

There are a few questions that have come up repeatedly, and I'd like 

to share my responses with you. The most accurate source of 

information about the fire investigation will come from the 

authorities themselves; misinformation will only cause greater 

suffering for the region. For information concerning the 

investigation, please refer to the Sheriff's department at www.sbsheriff.org.

Sincerely,

Gayle D. Beebe, President

1) Were any Westmont students involved in causing the fire?

No. On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 2:45 p.m., Drew Sugars, 

the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's 

Office officially informed the college that no current Westmont 

students were present nor in anyway involved with this tragic incident.

We have been in regular contact with investigators since the fire and 

have been providing any information that might be helpful toward 

determining the exact cause of the fire. This is our responsibility 

as a community citizen.  Our surrounding coastal region is home to 

many colleges and universities, and like all of them, we are awaiting 

new information.

It should be noted that at this point, the group of individuals 

responsible for starting the fire are under the jurisdiction of law 

enforcement authorities. Again, no current Westmont students were 

involved with this incident.

2) When will students and faculty be able to return to campus?

The campus will reopen Saturday, Nov. 29, at noon, and classes will 

restart Dec. 1. We are tirelessly working to clean up the campus and 

accommodate the entire campus population after the Thanksgiving holiday.

3) When will new information about the cause of the investigation be 

made available?

We have been informed by authorities that the investigation is still 

underway. It is important to resist the urge to speculate beyond what 

is currently known. Ultimately, the public needs to let the 

authorities do their job.

4) How is the college addressing rumors speculating about Westmont students?

Investigators have determined that no current Westmont students were 

involved in the fire. Any suggestions to the contrary are false and damaging.

Despite rumors and speculation on the Internet, our utmost priority 

throughout the investigation has been addressing the needs of our 

campus and the surrounding community. That means providing 

information requested by authorities, cleaning up the demolished 

sites on our campus in preparation for returning to the academic 

term, and generally being a good neighbor in a time of great 

need.  Second, we are providing accurate information directly from 

investigators to our college community in as timely a manner as possible.

Ultimately, the findings of the investigation will be made public by 

authorities and the individuals responsible for the fire will enter 

the jurisdiction of the law. Until that point, I ask that each of you 

do your part by avoiding undue speculation and by communicating 

responsibly, as is reflected in our values and mission.

5) How can I help?

Along with your family and friends, I strongly encourage you to 

participate in our Wildfire Relief Fund (link). As a longtime member 

of the Santa Barbara community, we will be working in unison with the 

region toward rebuilding efforts and we will be releasing more 

information about those possibilities as appropriate. For now, I ask 

that you continue to keep all victims of this fire in your thoughts 

and prayers, and become involved in our community efforts.

_______________________________________________

Testlist mailing list

Testlist@mail.westmont.edu

http://mail.westmont.edu/mailman/listinfo/testlist

A statement from Santa Barbara City College President Andreea Serban confirmed Thursday that nine of the ten people allegedly responsible for the Tea fire were enrolled at the school.
(The headline to this article was libelous and irresponsible and should be removed immediately.)

A statement from Santa Barbara City College President Andreea Serban confirmed Thursday that nine of the ten people allegedly responsible for the Tea fire were enrolled at the school.
(The headline to this article was irresponsible and should be removed immediately.)

A statement from Santa Barbara City College President Andreea Serban confirmed Thursday that nine of the ten people allegedly responsible for the Tea fire were enrolled at the school.

A statement from Santa Barbara City College President Andreea Serban confirmed Thursday that nine of the ten people allegedly responsible for the Tea fire were enrolled at the school.

A statement from Santa Barbara City College President Andreea Serban confirmed Thursday that nine of the ten people allegedly responsible for the Tea fire were enrolled at the school.
Oops, Patrick Price's headline was irresponsible and should be removed immediately, just to clarify....

Just to clarify... Patrick Price's headline was irresponsible....

Interesting feedback from the community.  Bottom line.  It happened, and now we need to pick up the pieces and support those who lost everything.  Let this be a valuable lesson to everyone that we live in kindling and need to be EXTRA careful and aware of the dangers a fire.

Although I love your contributions to this story Patrick, I take a little exception to your comment above: "If you've seen what I've seen from Westmont students, present and graduated, you would easily admit it is possible. I've seen a Westmont student setting fire to twigs in the park near there while they were stoned on Marijuana. Now THATS IRRISPONSIBLE. EVEN FOR A WESTMONT STUDENT. This article quotes authorities whom have spoken with the 10 people who believe they are responsible. Their collegiate affiliation is yet to be confirmed. Read The Article!!!!!"

Bro, how is it relevant what you've seen from current/past Westmont students in the form of irresponsibility?  And why would you feel the need to point to those students being "stoned on marijuana"?  I don't think the reader's protests on the very clear assumption in the article (due to proximity) that Westmont students were rumored to be responsible was based on Westmont students being 'holier than thou.'  It has to do more with leading the reader to believe that it is more likely that the fire-starters are from Westmont than other local educational institutions.  Subsequently we've been notified that the students hail from SBCC.  Either way, I'm not offended by the article, but by the way you allowed your own subjectivity to interfere with your solid and otherwise objective report.  At least it was only in the form of a comment, which is minor in this kind of forum.  Anyway, call me later...

Well, you ripped off the story from the L.A. Times.  Why not rip off their decent headline as well?  It was certainly more professional than the one posted here, which cites finger-pointing weblog rumors and seeks to skew the statement of the Wesmont president.  Check your files for the original title which stated that the fire was "possibly started by Westmont students."  That's irresponsible reporting.

This is currently posted on the Santa Barbara City College website:

SBCC Issues Statement Regarding Tea Fire

November 20, 2008

From: Superintendent/President Dr. Andreea M. Serban
Santa Barbara City College

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department notified me yesterday, November 19, that nine of the ten individuals identified as allegedly responsible for the Tea Fire have been confirmed as Santa Barbara City College students.

We are deeply saddened by this news and extend our heartfelt sympathies to all members of the community and their families who were affected by this tragedy. This tragedy also has had a direct and significant impact on SBCC faculty, staff and students who were among those who lost their homes and personal possessions during this fire.

Our students, as with all college students, have personal lives outside of the college. We acknowledge these boundaries and do not oversee students' personal activities away from campus. We will cooperate with local authorities to the extent possible in their ongoing investigation.The authorities will decide any further course of action for these students who were involved in this tragic accident.

Unbelievable that this journalist would write such a slanted piece trying to paint the fires on Westmont students.  The journalist left out that Santa Barbara City College is also in the area and the SBCC president has already admitted that at least 9 out of 10 of the students came from Santa Barbara City College.  Terrible journalism!!!

Good thing this guy is a photographer and not a writer huh Roberto? And if you think that all of the posts on here are journalism school grads gettting paid to upload this stuff, you are a fool. Plus the person who posted this article, didn't write it. This is a re-post. Keep commenting though. More the merrier.   Terrible Journalism!!!! Whaaaaaaaa *hickup* someone get me a hanky. 

Thank you for changing the article to be more accurate as more information was available.  At one moment in time the headline read "Montecito Santa Barbara Tea Fire Caused by Westmont College Students Bonfire."  The headlines before and after this were more accurate and this headline was removed soon after it was posted so I appreciate your concern that noone got the wrong idea. 

This was especially important since so many were ready to kick Westmont while it was down.  So seemed to base this on their beliefs or disagreements regarding land use approvals.  None of these are valid reasons to spead vicious rumors without any proof.

You have been the only person on this blog or the Independent to care about what kind of damage this false rumors can cause a small college of about 1,000 students that seems to be trying to be a good nieghbor in spite of the cheap shots it is having to endur unfairly.  Bravo!

I have a copy of Partick Price's headline which falsely states that the "Montecito Santa Barbara Tea Fire Caused by Westmont College Students Bonfire."  It is one thing to jump to a seemingly obvious conclusion but quite another thing to deny the mistake by accusing the fire victims of past drunkedness, pot smoking and twig igniting behavior as a justification.

I would post the link to the false headline but this site rejects my attempted links as "spam."  I'll keep trying so you all can see.

If you've seen what I've seen from Westmont students, present and graduated, you would easily admit it is possible. I've seen a Westmont student setting fire to twigs in the park near there while they were stoned on Marijuana. Now THATS IRRISPONSIBLE. EVEN FOR A WESTMONT STUDENT. This article quotes authorities whom have spoken with the 10 people who believe they are responsible. Their collegiate affiliation is yet to be confirmed. Read The Article!!!!!

This article is a direct quote of an article based on releases from Authorities in the Santa Barbara area.  While the possibility of another student group has not been ruled out, the main flow of young students going to the Tea Gardens for recreation comes from Westmont for obvious geographic reasons.  I've witnessed very irresponsible behavior from present and graduated students from Westmont, including fire play while under the influence of libation. That's Irrisponsible.

I graduated from Westmont.  Stupid behavior comes in every flavor.  Despite its overt religiosity, it has its share of normal people.  But ones religious views have nothing to do with common sense (be the culprits from Westmont, UCSB, Santa Barbara City College or visiting from Yale)     Seeking comfort, many choose to suggest a miracle or the blessing of a diety for sparing certain structures on campus while others burned to a crisp.  Fire is caused by carelessness and is spread by winds with hypo-humidity over highly combustable fuel.    Fire is not aimed or directed by a supernatural diety.  It sounds as if the fire was an accident.  Nobody died.  Lots of people terribly effected.   Give the college credit for the way they handled the crisis so far.  If the investigation concludes that its students were responsible, let's give the college a chance to make ammends to the community.        

It makes me wonder about the intelligence level of people who would light a fire in a place like that.  Surely they won't get off with a "sorry, it was an accident."