A firefighter sprays water on the rubble of a house that burned during the Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara, California May 7, 2009. An out-of-control, wind-driven wildfire bore down on Santa Barbara on Wednesday, destroying some 20 homes in the rugged central California foothills, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and injuring three firefighters.
LOS ANGELES, May 8 -- Thousands more people were evacuated Friday in a central California area as a destructive wildfire that already destroyed nearly 100 homes spread rapidly, officials said.
The Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara, about 150 kilometers north of Los Angeles, has destroyed over 1,000 hectares and at least 30,000 people have been under evacuation orders, with new warnings for more to prepare to flee.
"If you live in an area adjacent to an evacuation area, we encourage you to get ready to leave now," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference Friday morning at the fire command center.
At least 75 homes have been destroyed since the fire began Tuesday, and that figure does not include those burned down Friday. The fire was only 10 percent contained as of Friday morning.
Firefighters had hoped the worst was over, but heavy winds picked up overnight and spread the flames fast. Weather forecasters warned of heavy winds through Friday morning.
About 2,300 firefighters with 246 fire engines, 10 air tankers and 15 helicopters were fighting the fire. The cause of the wildfire was still under investigation.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has called the blaze "a great challenge" and promised the state's support for fighting the fire.
Firefighters spray water on the rubble of a house that burned during the Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara, California May 7, 2009. An out-of-control, wind-driven wildfire bore down on Santa Barbara on Wednesday, destroying some 20 homes in the rugged central California foothills, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and injuring three firefighters.
(Xinhua)
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