VENTURA – A dedicated group of firefighters joined forces to battle huge wild fires that raged out of control and torched hundreds of buildings in Southern California.
It is not clear what caused the fire but the hot and dry Santa Ana winds blowing from the desserts to the oceans have allowed the fire to explode and travel at enormous speeds.
The National Weather Service say the gusts were light on Monday, making it possible for firefighters to battle and stop the fire from raging further.
The fire which took a week long to be put out, crept along ridge lines above Montecito (celebrity neighbourhood) and the city of Santa Barbara.
Since the fire was too big to be put out, firefighters only concentrated to prevent it from coming downhill into those communities, officials said.
The blaze first erupted in neighbouring Ventura County where nearly 900 homes, outbuildings and business were completely destroyed by the fire.
Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider says public schools and other learning institutions in Santa Barbara were forced to cancel classes and will not reconvene until the annual winter break is completed in January.
The United States government has organised emergency shelters to those affected by the fire.
IMAGES source – CNN website
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