Raging wildfire edges close to Californian homes

FIREFIGHTERS struggled to get ahead of a raging wildfire that was moving dangerously close to an area of the idyllic coastal city Santa Barbara.

The area is home to screen stars, former presidents and Oprah Winfrey.

Neighbourhoods of multimillion dollar mansions stood like ghost towns, bathed in the eerie orange glow cast by the nearby blaze.

Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Jodi Dyck said yesterday that the fire had grown since the night before, when it measured roughly 2,700 acres, or four square miles.

She did not have an updated estimates of the fire’s size or burned acreage.

“It really got going during the night. Some areas have 45-year fuel. The wind is all over the place,” Santa Barbara city fire Captain Mike De Pont said. “For this time of year this activity is unusual.”

Roughly 12,000 more residents have been ordered to leave their homes, including those living in a densely populated area north of US 101, home to several mobile home parks.

The blaze was approaching homes in the city’s more populated, flat area below its steep canyons. Santa Barbara city fire spokesman Gary Pitney said flames jumped a road dividing the hilly terrain from the flatlands below and ignited spot fires in brush surrounding houses.

Pitney said the fire also pushed west across state Route 134, the key thoroughfare between Santa Barbara and wine country to the north.

Kelley Gouette, a deputy incident commander with the state department of forestry and fire protection, likened the fire to “a blowtorch.”

Santa Barbara county fire chief Tom Franklin said the blaze was particularly tough to fight as it spread into rugged terrain with thick brush.

Firefighters are “running pretty thin on equipment”, he said.

Officials said 11 firefighters were injured, including three who were burned when they sheltered in a house during a firestorm. They were reported in good condition at a burn centre. The fire was just 10% contained.