The blaze that erupted on Monday afternoon in Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara has threatened dozens of cabins in the mountains, as well as the fate of many campers in the area forced to evacuate, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
The fire is still only 10 percent contained, as of the morning, and the forecast is only about 10 percent contained, with forecasts later in the day expected for wind gusts of up to 40 mph, Santa Barbara County Fire Captain David Sadecki said.
The fire prompted the evacuation of about 50 homes, forcing as many as 6,000 campers to evacuate forest areas on the Memorial Day weekend. The evacuations remain in effect through Tuesday.
Thus far, the fire has burned two vehicles and a U.S. Forest Service. The cause of the blaze is still considered under investigation.
"It's an out-of-control wildfire so it is a threat. There's a lot of dry vegetation in its path," Sadecki said. "It's still spring -it's not even summer-and it's burning like it's August or September."
In San Diego, meanwhile, a fire scorched 980 acres of dry brush, but was not a threat to homes or buildings.
