Fire destroys more than 200 luxury homes near Santa Barbara (Roundup)

Nov 15, 2008, 2:20 GMT

Los Angeles - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday as more than 1,000 firefighters battled a raging wildfire near the celebrity hideaway of Montecito.

Up to 200 houses had been destroyed by the wind-driven flames by Friday night as fire teams worked to contain the damage amid winds that picked up again after a day of calm.

The fire injured 13 people and forced residents from more than 5,400 homes to evacuate. Several university buildings were also destroyed in the inferno, including a dormitory and several laboratories. It was the worst fire of the current season in terms of property damage.

The Tea House fire broke out Thursday evening and had burned around 1,000 hectares by Friday morning. Firefighters poured into the area from around the state to battle the flames, aided by hundreds of fire engines, nine helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich, Santa Barbara County's assistant executive officer.

'We're going to have a very, very tough day today for firefighting and when the winds kick up this afternoon, we're going to have an incredibly challenging situation,' said Santa Barbara County fire chief Ron Prince at a press conference. 'Control of this fire is not even in sight.'

Referring to the thick brush and foliage in the region, Prince added that 'the fuse has been lit on this fire for 30 years. I am surprised that we haven't had 500 homes burnt at this stage.'

Montecito is situated in the coastal mountains just outside Santa Barbara, about 145 kilometers north-east of Los Angeles and is famous as the home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe. Both their houses were reported to be safe but Lowe said he was forced to flee with his children as fire engulfed the mountain.

'Embers were falling. Wind was 70 miles an hour (112 kilometers per hour) easily, and it was just like Armageddon,' Lowe told KABC-TV. 'You couldn't hear yourself think.' Lowe said his house hadn't burned.

According to the Los Angeles Times at least part of actor Christopher Lloyd's property was damaged in the fire, with much of the Back to the Future actor's property in ruins.