Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes, and dozens of homes destroyed in a massive wildfire, on the edge of a Southern California town known for being a celebrity enclave.
More than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate after winds, some at speeds of up to 100 km/h, pushed the fire dangerously close to heavily populated areas in Santa Barbara County.
Officials say that an additional 25,000 people should be ready to evacuate on a moment's notice, but are optimistic about improving weather conditions.
Winds, which were wreaking havoc for firefighters on Thursday, actually helped on Friday as they changed direction, pushing the fire away from homes.
Earlier, firefighters described a nightmarish scenario occurring in the Santa Ynez Mountains.
"Literally last night, all hell broke loose," Santa Barbara city Fire Chief Andrew DiMizio said.
Officials are unsure about how more homes were destroyed overnight in addition to the 75 homes that burned down earlier this week.
Roughly 2,300 firefighters worked to stop the fire on Friday but have so far only been able to contain about 10 per cent of the blaze.
"It really got going during the night... the wind is all over the place," Santa Barbara fire Capt. Mike De Pont told The Associated Press Friday.
"For this time of year, this activity is unusual."
The inferno is expanding so quickly that even the emergency operation centre had to relocate overnight, Michele Mickiewicz of the Santa Barbara Emergency Response Team told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.
State officials said the fire has grown to more than 1,400 hectares -- roughly 14 square kilometres.
Kelley Gouette, a deputy incident commander with the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, likened the fire to "a blowtorch."
Authorities reported 11 firefighters injured, including three who sheltered in a house during a firestorm.
The city's location on the state's central coast gives it some of the best weather in the world, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Now with a population of about 90,000, it dates to the Spanish colonial era of California and a Roman Catholic mission established in the 1780s is a major tourist attraction.
But the geography that gives it beauty and a serene atmosphere also brings danger.
In November, a wind-driven fire burned 200 houses in Santa Barbara and Montecito, including the home of actor Christopher Lloyd.
With files from Associated Press
