Thousands Evacuated As Holiday Fire Burns In Goleta

GOLETA, CA -- A fast-growing wildfire forced the evacuation of thousands of residents Friday in Santa Barbara County, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency. As of Saturday morning, the holiday fire burned 100 acres and was 80 percent contained.

Officials in Goleta said between 2,200 and 2,500 residents were evacuated and 10 to 20 structures were burned.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for homes from La Patera to Patterson, north of Cathedral Oaks with an evacuation center created at the Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Ave.

The fire was one of several to erupt in California as the state grapples with soaring temperatures. In Northern California, one person died in the Klamathon Fire.

--Photo courtesy of Santa Barbara County Fire Department

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