Big California Wildfire Takes On New Life, Hundreds Told To Evacuate

Friday, August 3rd 2007, 10:05 pm

By: News On 6

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. (AP) _ A huge wildfire grew significantly in a national forest Friday night, raining ash on communities miles away and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their rural homes and campgrounds.

The month-old fire in northern Santa Barbara County has burned an estimated 38,000 acres _ or 60 square miles _ and was 70 percent contained. However, fire officials said the fire had grown during the day.

``We got additional wind on it today and the fire started burning more actively midmorning,'' said Kathy Good, Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman. ``Now it's headed south-southeast.''

Authorities ordered an estimated 500 to 800 people to evacuate, including 175 residents, and others who were camping or using recreational facilities in the popular wilderness about 10 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. The towering Santa Ynez Mountains lie between the wilderness area and the coast.

The order covered a community on Paradise Road, the Santa Ynez Road recreational areas, Los Prietos Boys Camp and the Rancho Oso Guest Ranch. The boys camp is a county juvenile facility.

The fire was burning through heavy vegetation, which is ``generating a lot of smoke and ash that's extending over to Santa Barbara and Montecito, basically to the coast,'' Good said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the area and declared a state of emergency in the county to free up state resources for fighting the fire.

The blaze was started July 4 by sparks from equipment repairing a water pipe. To date, the fire has cost about $42.8 million to fight.

Firefighters battled blazes across the West.

In southwestern Montana, 25 houses threatened by a wind-whipped fire were ordered evacuated about 20 miles from Philipsburg, said Karen Semple, a fire information officer. The houses are east of a 2,400-acre fire, she said.

Other residents north of Helena who fled a 49-square-mile fire Thursday night were allowed to return to their homes. But the Lewis and Clark County sheriff told them to be prepared to leave again.

Crews had contained 33 percent of the fire burning in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness since July 21. Fire managers hoped progress achieved during the week would not be reversed as forecasts called for 35 mph gusts, said Cheryl Larsen, a fire information officer.

``We've had a window of opportunity the last couple of days to make some good advances, continuing construction of the fire line and fortifying it,'' Larsen said.

In Washington state, at least 400 firefighters were being deployed to battle the nearly 500-acre blaze sparked by a helicopter crash on Thursday, fire information officer Scott Crawford said. Four people died in crash about 60 miles east-southeast of Seattle on the east slope of the Cascade Range.

``We have one way in and one way out, which is a big safety challenge,'' he said. ``There's going to be a super focus on safety in fighting this fire.''

The fire was not immediately threatening any buildings. An unoccupied cabin sits about a mile away.