A brush fire that erupted in the foothills of Santa Barbara Country, California on Monday has burnt through 3,800 acres with no containment.
The blaze, fanned by strong evening winds, grew and advanced towards populated areas of the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta. About 2,400 households were ordered to evacuate.
Santa Barbara County officials declared a local emergency and have requested the state's governor to enact a state of emergency for the area.
Many residents have reported power outages from the fire. The electrical company delivering power to the area, Southern California Edison, has set up a website where residents can check for outage updates.
Surrounding counties have sent help to the local fire department. Fire engines are staying in areas within the fire's projected path. Bulldozers and crews are setting up barriers to help stop the fire’s ingress into residential areas.
Photo posted by Santa Barbara County Fire Public Information Officer.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department public information officer, Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said it wasn't clear if the fire had consumed any homes yet.
Santa Barbara and the surrounding counties have been hit by devastating fires in the last two decades.