Strong winds boost strength of Calif. wildfire

[May 08, 2009]  SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) -- Firefighters struggled early Friday to get ahead of a raging wildfire that was moving dangerously close to heavily populated areas in this idyllic coastal city.

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

The fire's increasing strength prompted officials to order 6,000 more people to evacuate late Thursday, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. That pushed the total number of evacuated residents to at least 18,000.

Another evacuation order was issued early Friday in a densely populated area north of U.S. 101 where many mobile home parks are located. The number of people affected by the order wasn't immediately known.

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."

Officials opened a second evacuation shelter to accommodate 900 additional evacuees. All 190 beds were filled at the first shelter at a high school.

The seasonal wildfires that menace this idyllic coastal city -- home to screen stars, former presidents and Oprah Winfrey -- roared to life earlier in the year than usual but their ferocity is familiar.

By day's end, state officials said the fire grew from 1,300 to 2,739 acres -- roughly 4 square miles. Firefighters had been on alert for a predicted return of a "Sundowner" -- fierce winds that late in the day can sweep down from the Santa Ynez Mountains towering close behind Santa Barbara.

The benignly named Jesusita Fire was a slumbering day-old brush fire on rugged slopes above the city when a Sundowner hit at midafternoon Wednesday, hurling towering flames into homes and spitting embers into more distant neighborhoods.

Some 4,715 homes remained evacuated, and another 12,000 people in 5,200 homes were advised to be ready to leave, according to city and county estimates.

About 2,300 firefighters from many departments were on the lines, aided by aircraft. The fire was just 10 percent contained.

Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Tom Franklin said the blaze was particularly tough to fight as it spread into rugged terrain with thick brush that served as fuel and limited firefighting aircraft.

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 Los Angeles burn center but two will need skin grafts and surgery. Other injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to sprained ankles.

The city's location on the state's central coast gives it some of the best weather in the world, with temperatures routinely topping out in the 70s, and views of the Pacific Ocean. Now with a population of about 90,000, it dates to the Spanish colonial era of California and a Roman Catholic mission established in the 1780s is a major tourist attraction.

But the geography that gives it beauty and a serene atmosphere also brings danger.

In November, a wind-driven fire burned 200 houses in Santa Barbara and Montecito, including the home of actor Christopher Lloyd. Winfrey's estate escaped, along with the home of actor Rob Lowe, among many celebrities who have area residences.

Lifelong Santa Barbara resident Gregg Patronyk has seen dozens of wildfires, and they have become a way of life.

His parents' home burned down in the 1990 Painted Cave Fire, which destroyed 641 structures, and he had to evacuate his ridgetop home during the November fire.

Then, flames crackled through thickets of 50-year-old growth this week and his home was imperiled again. Patronyk said he saw houses burning Wednesday afternoon and immediately grabbed a hose and began soak his roof.

"It started firestorming dramatically," he said. "The fire got within 200 to 300 feet of my house. There was a lot of pressure to leave. Police wanted me out and I got a frantic call from my sister, who was walking up the hill to get me. So I packed up the car and left, picking her up on the way."

State Assemblyman Pedro Nava was forced to flee when the Sundowners blew flames toward town. He and his wife grabbed their two dogs and cat, photos, documents and a few days of clothes into a car and went to the home of a friend.

"I've learned how important preparation is in an emergency," he said. "The public has to be prepared to move, and in Santa Barbara they are prepared. When the police squad car came through with loudspeakers telling us to leave, there was no arguing. And they will all be back."

[Associated Press; By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON]

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