Wildfire Burns 100 Homes, Dorm In Calif.

Explosive Blaze Also Injures 13 In Ritzy Montecito, About 2,500 Acres Scorched

(CBS/AP)  Firefighters and a squadron of aircraft launched a desperate daylight attack Friday to push back a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed at least 100 homes and a college dormitory, and forced thousands to flee the longtime celebrity hideaway of Montecito.

At least 13 people were injured. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County.

The governor's declaration on Friday dedicates state personnel and equipment to the firefighting effort. It also says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to give California a grant to help fight the fire.

The blaze broke out just before 6 p.m. Thursday and spread to about 2,500 acres - nearly 4 square miles - by early Friday, destroying dozens of luxury homes and parts of a college campus in the foothills of Montecito, just southeast of Santa Barbara.

CBS News correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports that many mansions that dot the landscape were quickly engulfed in flames as the wind-whipped fire swirled uncontrollably.

"I saw $15 million in houses burn, without a doubt," Santa Barbara evacuee Tom Bain said. "They were just blowing up. It was really, intensely hot."

Within less than six hours, it destroyed dozens of luxury homes and several buildings on the campus of Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college nestled amid wooded rolling hills, where some 1,000 students were caught off-guard by the rapidly moving flames.

"It came pretty fast," said Tyler Rollema, a 19-year-old sophomore who was eating dinner in the cafeteria when students were told to head to the gym. "We came out and it was just blazing."

Fire officials began an aggressive attack from the air at daybreak with the help of nine water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. A high wind warning was in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Saturday, with possible gusts of up to 70 mph in some passes and canyons.

Earlier, Nicole Koon, another county spokeswoman, said about 5,400 homes were evacuated in tony Montecito, which has 14,000 residents and counts celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Michael Douglas as homeowners.

She had no immediate detail on the damage and evacuations in neighboring Santa Barbara.

By Friday morning, the city's downtown was filled with dense, acrid smoke and people walked on the streets with towels and masks over their faces.

Michele Mickiewicz, a spokeswoman with the county emergency operations center, said Friday that 10 people were treated for smoke inhalation and three had burn injuries. Earlier, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital reported receiving two patients with substantial burns.

Thousands of feet above the flames, footage shot from television helicopters showed what initially looked like a massive campfire with dozens of glowing embers. When cameras zoomed in, however, what appeared to be flaring coals turned out to be houses - many of them sprawling estates - gutted by flame. Palm trees were lit like burning matches.

With Santa Ana winds gusting over 50 miles an hour, keeping the water-dropping helicopters grounded for hours, it was nearly impossible for firefighters on the ground to attack the blaze.

About 500 firefighters are racing to stop the flames from spreading west to Santa Barbara and downhill toward more homes.

KCAL's helicopter crew, reporting from over the blaze, said the fire was jumping from house to house, in some cases right over the heads of firefighting crews trying desperately to contain it.

From the air, you could see home after home after home engulfed in flames.

"Absolute devastation," said one pilot.

"It looked like lava coming down a volcano," Leslie Hollis Lopez said as she gathered belongings from her house.

(Left: Residents watch a home burn in the hills above Santa Barbara, Calif., Nov. 13, 2008.)

Tom Bain, a 54-year-old electrician, said authorities ordered him to leave his home in Santa Barbara around midnight.

Bain quickly collected his three cats, his work files and his computer and was out his house within five minutes. On his way out, he saw at least six mansions on a ridge above his home explode into flames and the cool night air was warmed to about 80 degrees by the fire.

"You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes," Michaelo Rosso told CBS affiliate KCAL-TV as he prepared to leave his home. "It sounds like the Fourth of July out here."

About 200 people spent the night at an evacuation center at a high school in nearby Goleta, but rest was out of the question for Ed Naha. He was worried about his home in the hills above Santa Barbara.

"I don't think we are going to have the house when we go back," Naha said.

The 58-year-old writer had been home working on his computer when smoke blanketed his house. He gathered his insurance documents, his wife and two dogs and left as flames approached his neighborhood.

"We are used to seeing smoke because we do have fires up here, but I've never seen that reddish, hellish glow that close," he said. "I was waiting for Dante and Virgil to show up."

At Westmont College, the air was dense with smoke and the scent of burning pine. Students holed up in the school's gym as flames chewed through a eucalyptus grove on the 135-acre campus and destroyed several buildings housing the physics and psychology departments, a dormitory and at least one faculty home, college spokesman Scott Craig said.

"I saw flames about 100 feet high in the air shooting up with the wind just howling," he told AP Radio. "Now when the wind howls and you've got palm trees and eucalyptus trees that are literally exploding with their hot oil, you've got these big, red hot embers that are flying through the sky and are catching anything on fire."

"I was terrified," one woman told CBS News. "The gym was filled with smoke. The smoke was coming through the vents. And we could see flames right outside."

Beth Lazor, 18, said she was in her dorm when the alarm went off. She said she only had time to grab her laptop, phone, a teddy bear and a debit card before fleeing the burning building.

Her roommate, Catherine Wilson, said she didn't have time to get anything.

"I came out and the whole hill was glowing," Wilson said. "There were embers falling down."

The college said on its Web site it was considering moving the students to a Red Cross shelter if they can get safely through the fire.

The winds weakened overnight, with gusts reaching from 17 to 25 mph, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "We're expecting conditions to improve for firefighters on the lines, but it will still be warm and dry through tomorrow," she said.

The fire temporarily knocked out power to more than 20,000 homes in Santa Barbara, Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein said

The very bad news is that the Santa Ana winds and the hot dry weather are expected to last through the weekend.

A red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties is in effect from 8 a.m. today to 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Firefighters faced wind gusts as high as 70 mph Thursday night. Gusts were expected to remain strong through early Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The fierce winds (known locally as "sundowners") blow from land to sea in the evening, reversing the normal onshore flow of cool, moist sea breezes. They are caused by the area's unique topography.

Montecito and its multimillion-dollar homes with ocean views have long attracted celebrities such as Michael Douglas, Robe Lowe and Oprah Winfrey, who owns a 42-acre estate there. The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.

Publicists for Lowe and Winfrey told the AP the celebrities' homes had not been destroyed and that neither was staying in the area Thursday night.

Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned.

[lpgideon]

Wowee! California bashers: Now that the election is over, you have something else to complain about, right? I love California, it is a great state. Yup, it does have a few problems now and then. I was born there in 1928, in San Pedro, and have seen my share of earthquakes, and other fires. But, tornadoes of the central states are much worse than any disaster I have seen in California. Yes, San Francisco might be bad. But once in a lifetime, is probably better than a continual worry of annual disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes. So, please feel sorry for the losers in California, which are few in numbers, rather than complain about the state as a whole.

[valentin73]

Go West People from America, all the forty nine other states, including western allies, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, Go West to California, and see the Pacific Ocean. OCEAN is not the only thing about California, People don''t live on water: they live on land. And the land is rocky (EARTHQUAKES) , slippery (MUDSLIDES) shifting (faults movements), burning (WILDFIRES, WILDFIRES AND MORE WILDFIRES), Wet (TORRENTIAL RAINS NONSTOP), cold too (FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN APRIL, A REVERSAL OF GLOBAL WARMING THANKS TO LA NINA BONITA), burned ground (ENTIRE COLONIES BURNED DOWN TO THE WHAT EVER IS LEFT OF CALIFORNIA GROUND, ASK PRESIDENT BUSH; HE VISITED THE AREA ONCE), ...and people still live there? you gotta be kidding me, and still rebuilding???? these people are real dumb.......................

[truthvslies]

Perhaps God is trying to tell Californian''s Something!
They should give up fighting with each other...

God did not intend for a man to be with a man and a woman to be with a woman. He created a man and a woman to be with each other and keep mankind going by creating life.

We all know that it takes a man and a woman to create life!

[questionnews]

Really? Only in California? Because it sure sounds like your town has more than its fair share of arrogance and idiocy in you. Oooooh yeah - I forgot. California is not part of "Real America". We''''re part of "Godless, palling around with Terrorists" America. Moron. I''''m amazed at how a story of a fire burning people out of their homes can draw such a crowd of cruel, sanctimoneous blow-hards spewing their psychocit logic as to why these families some how "had it coming". Insanity.

Posted by Insurgeon1 at 05:23 PM : Nov 14, 2008

If I may, I think he has focusing on the radical militant environmentalists that that put a stop to anything that might alter the landscape in any way. Much like the one''s that sue & tie up in litigation projects like solar fields, wind turbines, tidal power plants & geothermal power plants. These guys do need to be reined in. The rest of you Californians are decent folk. (Uh oh! I''m going to get attacked because I called Californians decent folk and Prop 8 passed)

[credibility2]

If this doesn''t turn out to be arson, but instead related to the environmentalists barring underbrush from periodic being removal or being burned away, then the environmentalists need to be dealt with for their green arrogance, which continues to cause these types of major problems. Fighting fires caused by accumulated underbrush is costing too much in fire fighting power, is costing too much to the insurance industry, is costing too much to the home owners and residents, and is a waste of time, effort and money. Periodic removal and controlled burns are the best way to prevent these types of avoidable fires. Only in California is there this much arrogance and idiocy.

[questionnews]

PCreversed

I think you struck a nerve.

[usclimey]

I have a question on point. Why aren''''t the Greenies protesting using water to put out fires?

Posted by robaldrich4

You''re right about water vapor - incidentally every molecule of CO2 car exhausts it also exhaust a molecule of H2O. Obviously there''s nothing other than water to use.

[slim1h2o]

Let the whole state burn. I for one am tired about hearing about people building in "fire areas" and then complain that their house burned down. Did they expect anything else?

Posted by PCreversed at 04:41 PM : Nov 14, 2008


OOO,,Yes,, much like when people are born and become afflicted with some health problem, and expects a doctor to treat them, but doesn''t.

In other words,, if you don''t build/buy a house it will never burn down.

Or if you''re not born, you will never become sick and won''t need the service of a doctor, whom think they know more about the patient, than the patient does.

[nolalou]

Let the whole state burn. I for one am tired about hearing about people building in "fire areas" and then complain that their house burned down. Did they expect anything else?

Posted by PCreversed

You are the same as those idiots who said people shouldn''t live in Louisiana after Katrina, since it''s in a ''hurricane'' zone! With that logic, the entire state of Florida should be abandoned, any part of the west where earthquakes might hit, along any river that might flood, etc.

In other words, PCreversed , you are a BLITHERING IDIOT!!!!!

[nolalou]

Let the whole state burn. I for one am tired about hearing about people building in "fire areas" and then complain that their house burned down. Did they expect anything else?

Posted by PCreversed

You are the same as those idiots who said people shouldn''t live in Louisiana after Katrina, since it''s in a ''hurricane'' zone! With that logic, the entire state of Florida should be abandoned, any part of the west where earthquakes might hit, along any river that might flood, etc.

In other words, PCreversed , you are a BLITHERING IDIOT!!!!!

[displeased]

Water vapor is the number one greenhouse gas. Much greater than carbon dioxide. Water vapor constitutes 95% of the greenhouse effect. Google it.
Posted by robaldrich4

Something we just got in class today...

"Water vapor is the atmospheric gas that collectively has the greatest greenhouse effect on climate, although it does not directly instigate warming or cooling trends, because the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere varies only in response to temperature change. Instead, water vapor only amplifies temperature trends being caused by other factors such as atmospheric CO2 concentration or Earth''s albedo..."

[slim1h2o]

I don''''t know, I hope so. We haven''''t had an offense in 3 years, but we''''ve had the talent prior to this year. There have been lots of screaming to fire Stinespring. But that''''s typical "angry fan" reaction.
Posted by Displeased at 04:28 PM : Nov 14, 2008

It''s all because they joined the anemic ACC.

When they were in the B.E. they were good, the very next year in the ACC,,they sucked.

It all blew up in John Swoffords face,,I think.

[robaldrich]

What''s up? Basketball, ***, football, etc. Isn''t this story about fires in Santa Barbara Co. California?

I have a question on point. Why aren''t the Greenies protesting using water to put out fires?

Water vapor is the number one greenhouse gas. Much greater than carbon dioxide. Water vapor constitutes 95% of the greenhouse effect. Google it.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by easeup at 04:23 PM : Nov 14, 2008

I agree!! When they played that game, it was being trumped up that the B. E. was going to have their heads handed to ''em.

I watched that game,,I was estatic,,it was a good game too actually,, well I think anyways.

It was a great day for the B.E. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Just so that we keep on the topic, My school brought in a new coach, dumped the Pro-option, and went with the "west coast offence",,and now they succ.

Hopefully we get rid of that coach this year..GRob

[displeased]

They have fallen pretty hard--is anyone starting to get on Beamer?
Posted by easeup

I don''t know, I hope so. We haven''t had an offense in 3 years, but we''ve had the talent prior to this year. There have been lots of screaming to fire Stinespring. But that''s typical "angry fan" reaction.

[easeup-2009]

But you have forgotten about Rutgers, S. Fla, et al. They are on the way back. The bigeast is still better than a couple of other BCS conferences.

Posted by slim1h2o at 04:17 PM : Nov 14, 2008

I LOVED it when USF went down & beat Auburn last year! I HATE the SEC & they''re fans--talk about arrogant! The media loves them so year after year they are grossly overrated. I hate the fact that the Big 10 gets dumped-on because the Buckeyes lost 2 NC games. he Big 10 & SEC are actually about even over the last 10 years.

[socialismsux]

There is no doubt they are a different team than the USC game. Pryor is really getting better & Beanie is back. If they played USC now it would be a totally different story.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by easeup at 03:23 PM : Nov 14, 2008


I totally agree. 100%

[socialismsux]

I am held accountable for my sins by my conscience. I don''''t need your god or fables to keep me in line. Your god may have power over you but he carries no sway with me.
Posted by Insurgeon1 at 02:58 PM : Nov 14, 2008

So you admit you''re held accountable for your SINS (your own words) and then you mock the Lord in the next sentence. Yes, God is mightier than you, and you DO fall underneath Him whether you choose to believe in Him or not.

He already paid the price for my sins on the cross 2,000 years ago on the cross.

Your humanism will not win in the end. You''ll have to stand before Him and give an account

[usclimey]

And our star defensive coordinator is interviewing at Clemson today. Our future will be toast without him.

Posted by Displeased

That''s what the "experts" said about SC when Norm Chow left - they''ve still only lost three games in three years.

[easeup-2009]

Our VT Hokies are in a downward spiral. Our loss to Miami last night pretty much guaranteed us a lame bowl game. And our star defensive coordinator is interviewing at Clemson today. Our future will be toast without him.

Posted by Displeased at 04:13 PM : Nov 14, 2008

They have fallen pretty hard--is anyone starting to get on Beamer?