Cool Santa Barbara weather but fire rages on

More than 30 thousand people have now been ordered to leave their
homes in the California town of Santa Barbara, where a wildfire is
burning out of control. At least 75 homes have been destroyed and
firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze. More than 12
thousand properties in Santa Barbara are under a compulsory evacuation
order. The fierce fire, which started on Tuesday, is proving extremely
difficult to get under control. At one point the front edge of the
fire stretched for five miles – rapidly consuming the tinder dry brush
in its wake. One official likened the fire to a 'blowtorch." The main
problem for firefighters has been the sudden changes in the wind speed
and direction. Local residents have been forces to sleep in community
centers and schools, not knowing whether they'll have a home to return
to. More than two thousand firefighters are battling the blaze from
the ground and the air. A DC-10 jet has been dumping huge loads of
fire retardant over the blaze. There's one glimmer of hope. The
weather forecast is for much cooler temperatures – a change that
should help the firefighters although it's still likely to take
several days to get the blaze fully contained.