Hellish Fire Threatens Santa Barbara CA

May 6, 2009 - The Santa Barbara (California) Sheriff’s Department issued a following mandatory evacuation order due to the changing conditions of the Jesusita Fire. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of arson. Anybody who has information about the original of these fires is asked to call a fire tipline at 805-686-5074. Anonymous tips are welcome. The evacuation order went out at 6:20 p.m. PST (4:20 pm CST) today. Earlier today, there was hope that the fire was coming under control, but around 6:00 pm local time, it suddenly burst back in a vicious way. The governor has also declared a state of emergency for the area. A brush fire consumed homes and raged out of control in the hills above Santa Barbara today, fueled by dry, hot winds that are expected to continue into the night. The fire burned through lush green canyons dotted with expensive homes, burning at least 12 structures and perhaps many more. The job of roughly 900 firefighters was hampered by poor access to the fire area, officials said, as well as winds of up to 50 mph and thick brush that hadn’t burned in a half-century. "We are in a state of extreme emergency,'' said David Sadecki, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. "We're running very, very thin.'' Full Story at LA Times... CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter