An aerial shot of the Whittier fire burning off Hwy 154 in SB County. Photo: Santa Barbara/Twitter
Two wildfires burning in Santa Barbara County have forced around 2,000 residents to evacuate.
According to CNN, the Whittier Fire in Santa Barbara started yesterday and grew rapidly to over 5,000 acres. Many of the evacuees were children at a summer camp called Circle V Ranch. The fire is burning “out of control” on both sides of Highway 154, and the County has announced that it will be closed for the next several days.
Hwy 154 closed/unsafe-likely for several https://t.co/xNZNEPmKUq enforcement patrolling and will tell when open to retrieve personal items. pic.twitter.com/lcAzh2QUqG
— Santa Barbara County (@countyofsb) July 9, 2017
The fire, which investigators suspect started around 2 pm, was aided by abnormally high temperatures. Los Angeles saw a 131-year record broken when temperatures hit 98°F, surpassing the record of 95°F. Temperatures in Santa Barbara are soaring. As of Sunday afternoon, the fire is 0% contained, and the mercury is expected to hover in the mid-90s.
Because California’s long drought was broken this winter by record-breaking rainfall, the real start of fire season began a little later than usual. That means, of course, that vegetation has more time to grow. Now, though, it’s all dried out and ready to burn–and burning it is.
Another fire, known as the Wall Street fire, burning in Northern California’s Butte County, has destroyed ten structures. More than 300 homes have been evacuated, and as of July 8th, was only 20% contained.
The Alamo fire, just 60 miles southeast, has grown to 24,000 hectares and is 20% contained. Two hundred homes in the area have been issued evacuation orders, and over 600 firefighters are active.
