SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for a wildfire that has surged into the city of Santa Barbara.
He issued the proclamation Wednesday evening after high winds stoked the slumbering fire and homes began burning. Residents were told to leave about 2,000 homes because of the fire that started in the foothills about the coastal enclave Tuesday afternoon.
TV news helicopters showed homes ablaze but thick smoke obscured how many. County fire Capt. David Sadecki said the fire was burning quickly and winds were gusting up to 50 mph.
Schwarzenegger says he has asked federal authorities to issue an assistance grant to ensure financial resources are available for firefighting.
“The fire is moving very, very rapidly,” said Capt. Sadecki.
The fire, last reported at nearly 200 acres, became active on all sides and spot fires developed around the perimeter, said city fire Capt. Mike dePonce.
“We were projecting 50 mph down-canyon gusts, and that’s exactly what we’re getting now,” he said.
The flames erupted Tuesday at elevations above the city, which still bears the scars of a November blaze that burned more than 200 homes in Santa Barbara and neighboring Montecito.
Calm winds early Wednesday had reduced the fire to wispy plumes, but authorities mindful of stronger winds being forecast urged evacuees not to return. He said those in unevacuated neighborhoods near the fire should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
Helicopters and planes dumped water and fire retardant while ground crews attacked the flames head-on, concentrating on its southern flank to protect neighborhoods there.
Steve Pivato, a Goleta resident, said the homes in the threatened area cost at least $1 million and many were $2 million or more.
“They’re all very nice homes. There’s no shacks in that area,” he said.
Pivato said the smoke from the fire turned from gray to black as he drove home: “That’s the color when homes starts burning.”
Jason Coggins, a waiter at the Kyoto Japanese Restaurant in Santa Barbara, said several traffic lights went out, causing multiple fender benders and traffic problems and that the air was thick with ash.
“It’s raining ash all the way down to the beach,” Coggins said.
Santa Barbara, which has about more than 400,000 residents, rises rapidly from the Pacific coastline on the south to the foothills of the rugged Santa Ynez Mountains to the north. It is sometimes subject to “sundowners” — strong winds that blow downslope through passes and canyons of the mountain range and offshore. The tourist destination is about 100 miles west of Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, a fire in rural southeastern Arizona had destroyed three houses near Sierra Vista and injured a man. The fire had charred about 4,000 acres near Fort Huachuca, threatening about 50 homes in a subdivision. Containment was estimated at 25 percent Wednesday.
