The Los Padres Air Tanker Base at Santa Maria Airport in northern Santa Barbara County, California, has opened its renovated operations center. For almost twenty years, the base has supported wildfire suppression on the Central Coast. Its responsibilities have grown as wildfire activity increased in the area.
To address higher demand, the base added a fourth reloading pit in 2019 to serve more fixed-wing aircraft. Staff continued to work in limited space until a new 20-year lease with the Central Coast Jet Center in 2023 allowed for a major expansion.
Construction of a new second-floor suite began in early 2025. The addition increased the operations center by 2,000 square feet, nearly doubling its size. The project was finished before two wildfires occurred on the Santa Lucia Ranger District in July and August 2025…