California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today as a wildfire destroyed at least 100 homes in the celebrity enclave of Montecito and forced about 4,500 residents to flee.
The blaze began at 5:50 p.m. local time yesterday in the Los Padres National Forest, burning more than 1,500 acres. More than 1,100 firefighters have been deployed and 1,500 homes are threatened, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire.
“This continues to be a dangerous fire and residents should remain aware of local conditions and be prepared to respond to any warnings,” the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said in a statement. Thirteen people were injured, the Associated Press reported.
The area is under a red-flag warning until tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard, signaling the potential for “explosive fire-weather conditions.”
The wealthy community of Montecito is southeast of Santa Barbara and about 73 miles (118 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles.
Efforts to battle the blaze have put a strain on the region’s water supply, and residents are urged to curb their usage, the Montecito Fire Department said in a statement.
“Water reservoirs have dropped to critically low levels,” the department said.
California had an unprecedented early start to its fire season in June, when lightning touched off 1,700 fires in one day that went on to consume more than 1 million acres (404,686 hectares), a record for destruction.
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