A brush fire destroyed an unknown number of homes Thursday in the tony enclave of Montecito, forcing residents to evacuate what has long been a hideaway for the rich and famous.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured or exactly how many homes had burned in the community of 10,000. Television images showed one destroyed house that appeared to have a turret. Flames had engulfed several multimillion-dollar homes and widespread power outages were reported in the area.
"It looked like lava coming down a volcano," Leslie Hollis Lopez told The Associated Press as she gathered her belongings from her house.
The fire broke out shortly before 6 p.m. and strong winds quickly spread the flames through 300 acres — about half a square mile — in the foothills five miles south of Santa Barbara. Gusts as high as 70 mph were recorded, according to the National Weather Service.
Several fire departments were battling the flames as thick plumes of smoke hovered overhead. Evacuations were ordered for parts of the area, which one resident described as deserted.
"You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes," Michaelo Rosso told KCAL-TV as he prepared to leave his home. "It sounds like the Fourth of July out here."
The fire knocked out power to more than 20,000 homes in Santa Barbara, said Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein. An emergency shelter was set up at a high school and students at Westmont College were told to gather in the school's gym.
Montecito and its ocean views have long attracted celebrities.
The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey owns a 42-acre estate in Montecito, and other well-known residents include Michael Douglas and Rob Lowe.
Lowe's publicist, Alan Nierob, told The Associated Press the actor's home had not been destroyed and that he was not staying there Thursday night.
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