Huge California wildfire spreads overnight as crews dig in

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Firefighters battled on Saturday to gain control of a destructive wildfire burning near Santa Barbara, California that mushroomed in size overnight, pushed by gusty offshore winds into dry brush that has not burned in decades.

The Whittier Fire, which broke out July 8 and has already destroyed eight homes, had been more than 50 percent contained on Friday before so-called “Sundowner” winds picked up in the evening, according to a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) website.

Nearly 3,000 people who were forced to flee their homes near Cachuma Lake and the community of Goleta remained under evacuation orders as fire officials said another evening of Sundowners could drive the flames toward populated areas.

“The fire continues burning in an area above the community of Goleta and crews continue to build containment and contingency lines to hold the fire in check,” Cal Fire said on the Inciweb fire-tracking website. “The east and west flanks of the fire continue to burn towards established containment lines.”

More than 1,600 firefighters were working the blaze, assisted by water-dropping planes and helicopters. Highway 154 was shut down in both directions and the Los Padres National Park was closed to the public. Evacuation shelters were opened at a high school in Goleta.

Source: Huge California wildfire spreads overnight as crews dig in