Santa Barbara wildfires resemble war zone
Pastor Dale Morgan
Santa Barbara wildfires resemble war zone
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More than 30,000 people have been evacuated from the upmarket
Californian town as firefighters struggle against raging brushfires.
By Graeme Culliford in Santa Barbara
Last Updated: 4:08PM BST 09 May 2009
Santa Barbara fire, USA
Fire threatens a house as strong gusty winds fan the Jesusita fire on a
ridge above Santa Barbara Photo: AFP
A combination of 60mph wind gusts and tinder dry brush sent flames
roaring towards the centre of the city overnight, leaving another 23,000
people facing possible evacuation on Saturday.
"I never thought I'd use these cliche type words, but last night all
hell broke loose," Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Andy Dimizio said.
The rolling green hills of Santa Barbara, studded with the mansions of
showbusiness celebrities and their multi-millionaire neighbours,
resembled a "war zone" as raging flames and huge plumes of smoke rose
into the air.
An ashen grey carpet lay over the normally picturesque landscape,
illuminated by dozens of wildfires and clouds of smoke that dwarfed the
helicopters dropping water on the blazes.
In the city below, ash rained down like snow flakes. The acrid smell
hung thick in the oven-hot air, burning nostrils and causing coughing fits.
Another 3,500 houses and about 100 businesses remained under immediate
threat from the fire, which has already consumed 80 homes and turned
nearly 9,000 acres of land in the foothills into charred ashes.
No civilian casualties have been reported, although 11 firefighters have
been injured. Policemen wearing surgical masks patrolled for looters on
quiet streets as defiant residents stared up in shock at the charred
mountains.
"We've had fires before but I don't think I've seen it as bad as this,"
said Paul Willis, 16, a school student. "It's like being in a war zone."
Famous names such as talk show host Oprah Winfrey and British comedian
John Cleese have mansions in Santa Barbara and neighbouring Montecito,
which are set in a picturesque stretch of California known locally as
"the Riviera". Ms Winfrey was understood not to be at her $50 million
mansion, but her staff were reported to be making evacuation preparations.
The unpredictable wildfires were particularly dangerous for firefighters
drafted to battle the blaze. Three were left with horrific burns when
fire overran their vehicle, according to a local official.
Gina Sunseri, a Santa Barbara Fire Department spokeswoman, said: "It's
hard to say if we are getting a handle on this because the winds are so
unpredictable.
"With winds gusting at 60mph and the temperature around 102 degrees,
it's very dangerous out there.
"Also the topography of the mountains is very steep, so the flames can
whip down and around very quickly."
Firefighter Mark Metz, still covered in black soot from his last outing
and heading back to the hills, was understated when he discussed the danger.
"We do have to get quite close to the fires sometimes, but if things
look too bad we back off," he said. "No house is worth losing a life over."
As he spoke, a thick plume of white and gray smoke billowed out of one
of the towering peaks of the verdant Santa Ynez mountains. Pushed west
by the strong, gusting winds, it spread across the land like a giant
cloud, darkening the countryside.
At one point the fire suddenly spread rapidly down the mountain,
prompting startled gasps from residents waiting in the town square to
hear if they were to be evacuated.
Claudia Barajas, 33, who works at a convenience store, had a look of
terror on her face as she watched the fast-moving blaze head in her
direction.
She said: "I'm very concerned. You can really see the flames now and the
fire is moving so fast. I'm told it is getting very close to some
electrical towers at the bottom of the mountain.
"It's particularly worrying for us as we are not really used to this
type of thing. We've had a few wild fires in the last year-and-a-half,
but before that we had not had one since the 1970s."
Sam Frye, a volunteer for the Montecito Emergency Response and Rescue
Action Group, said: "People are obviously worried, with the fire heading
in this direction. If the winds would only stop, the fire would die out
and we would be fine. But with the way the conditions are now, anything
can happen."
On Friday afternoon, sections of the Montecito neighbourhood east of
Santa Barbara were being evacuated, including the historic San Ysidro
Ranch, where the future President John F Kennedy honeymooned with his
wife Jacqueline.