A smoking hillside is being closely watched by Santa Barbara County Firefighters and Park Rangers west of Hendry's Beach. It was spotted Monday below Hope Ranch by a passerby. The area is now cordoned off with yellow tape and signs are up to keep the public back until the situation is resolved. The smouldering site is coming from a hole left behind after a small landslide. That exposed the interior or the earth. UC Santa Barbara Professor Emeritus in Earth Sciences, Jim Boles says minerals below the surface have reacted to ocean air and moisture causing the rocks to heat up. That started burning the natural tar in the rocks, often found in this section of the coast. The smoke odor is similar to what you would detect when a crew is laying asphalt. It disappears when a light breeze comes through the area, but it's detectable in still air.