CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES ONLY 16% CONTAINED!

The blaze near the Santa Barbara city has grown to 5,400 acres and triggers more evacuations. No homes have been destroyed. The local fireworks show is canceled and face masks are being distributed to residents.

By Catherine Saillant and Steve Chawkins
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
July 4, 2008

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fires5-2008jul05,0,7374426.story

BIG SUR -- The fires that bedevil California took another ominous turn as a blaze near Goleta more than doubled overnight to 5,400 acres and triggered more evacuations but has not destroyed any homes.Mushrooming in size, the Goleta fire was declared a local emergency by Santa Barbara County officials. Because of its proximity to populated areas, it was also designated the top firefighting priority in a state currently plagued with a multitude of fires, some of them burning without intervention in remote areas.


Fire still threatens Big Sur

Major California wildfires
Fire near Goleta

Gap fire
Map gallery: Big Sur, Goleta, Statewide

Residents of more than 1,700 homes remain under evacuation orders as of 7 this morning, said William Boyer, spokesman for Santa Barbara County. In another 300 homes, residents have been told to pack their valuables in case an evacuation order comes.Driven by "sundowner" winds gusting out of the mountains, Boyer said the blaze roared "to the edge of some of the neighborhoods."

Firefighters who beat back the flames were aided, he said, "by homeowners who had taken personal responsibility and created a lot of defensible space around their homes."More than 800 firefighters are on the scene. The Gap fire has been declared the state's top firefighting priority, so personnel and equipment are being shifted to Goleta from fires around the state that have been brought under control.Burning in thick brush untouched by flame for half a century, the fire has taken on a kidney shape in the mountains looming over the Goleta Valley.

On the west, it is burning toward scenic Highway 154, a lightly settled area dotted with rustic homes. One the east it has burned past Glen Annie Canyon but, Boyer said, it is still about a 1 1/2 miles north of most of Goleta's neighborhoods.Winds today are forecast for the late afternoon and evening - the time of greatest growth for the Gap fire since it started Tuesday .

However, Boyer said, the humidity in the area has increased - a bit of good news for strained firefighters and worried residents.Starting at 10 a.m., face masks will be distributed free to residents who are sensitive to the smoke that hangs over Goleta. The masks are being provided by Direct Relief International, a Santa Barbara-based group that provides humanitarian assistance in emergencies around the world.They will be offered at the Camino Real Marketplace Center, a Goleta shopping mall, and at the Goleta Valley Community Center.

The fire has led to the cancellation of plans for a number of community events. The local historical society's annual picnic was canceled. And the planned Fourth of July fireworks celebration at a Goleta park will have to wait until next year.

At Big Sur, more than 64,000 acres have burned, 20 structures have been destroyed and about 1,300 are threatened."The weather forecast this weekend is for warming and drying conditions," said Greg DeNitto, a spokesman for the multi-agency team fighting the Big Sur blaze. "That's not a good prognosis."

In a period of less than two weeks, at least 1,700 lightning-triggered fires in California have charred more than 513,000 acres. About 100 fires continue to burn. Statewide, more than 10,700 homes are threatened and 34 residences have been destroyed. A new fire Thursday burned at least 250 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest near Yucaipa.

At Nepenthe, the landmark restaurant perched on a cliff above the Big Sur coast, employees who live in cabins on the grounds had suffered through a rough night as the crackling flames kept coming closer.But about 3 a.m. Thursday, a marine layer moved in, slowing the fire's advance.

Later in the day, Shane Stephens, 35, a supervisor in the restaurant, wrestled with whether to stay another night or to heed his girlfriend's plea to evacuate."I have an older car and only half a tank of gas," he said. "I don't want to get stranded on the road."Stephens started toward his car. Then, he paused and came back. He needed to explain why leaving was so hard for him."Nepenthe "is not like Chili's in town," he said. "This is a place where people come back years later to relive memories. It's known around the world. It's family-run and family-owned. It's not corporate."He paused, then choked up.