Hundreds evacuated over southern California wildfire
A raging wildfire has spread in southern California, forming destructive columns of flames known as fire tornadoes and prompting officials to evacuate hundreds of people.
The so-called Sherpa Fire in Santa Barbara County, fed by parched land and high winds, had burned through about 7,811 acres (3,161 hectares) of land by Saturday evening, officials said.
Firefighters managed to contain about 45 percent of the fire after early evening "sun-downer winds," which can sweep through the area's coastal canyons, did not emerge overnight on Friday.
"We had a very good night last night ... We've had no life loss, no major injuries and no major structural loss," Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Eric Peterson told a news conference.
However, a new "red flag warning" was issued as gusty winds are expected to blow from Sunday to Tuesday.
"Now is the time to gather your family members, pets and important documents in case you need to leave quickly," the Sheriff's office warned.
Since Wednesday when the fire broke out, more than 1,200 firefighters have been battling the flames.
US officials placed at least 270 homes and businesses under evacuation orders and cleared out camp-grounds and state beaches.
“We're here at the beginning of June and we're seeing very active fires, very similar to behavior that we would typically see in the fall,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the Cal-Fire firefighting agency.
The fire had tripled in size from 1,200 acres (486 hectares) on Thursday night to more than 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares) early on Friday, fire officials said.
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