About 1,200 homes have been evacuated as fires near Santa Barbara have descended upon residential areas with heated fury. Special fire engines with four-wheel capabilities and rural fire equipment, have come in to help with extinguishing the fires from as far as Murrieta and cities in North San Diego County. High winds are making the fire difficult to fight, blowing as fast as 70 miles per hour at times. The high winds, combined with the low humidity, is fueling the fires into fast moving walls of destruction.
The fires are burning through brush that hasn't burned in 50 years, which has now burned at least 20 homes and stands at 0% containment. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency as over 8,000 people evacuate the area. The Santa Barbara fire has been named the "Jesusita Fire."
Winds are dying down in the later part of the day, shifting from the west to coming from the north. Overnight gusty winds are a possibility. The afternoon gusts of winds are to blame for the fire advancing on the residential neighborhoods. 2,000 homes have been evacuated from, including the Santa Barbara Mission and the nearby commercial district.
The fire has burned at least 400 acres. One firefighter has been injured.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
No comments:
Post a Comment