By JEFF WILSON
Associated Press Writer

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Dozens of homes have been destroyed by the wildfire raging in the hills above Santa Barbara, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday as firefighters prepared for another explosive afternoon.


The fire has forced the evacuation of more than 13,500 people.

Torrid temperatures and howling winds predicted later in the day could again drive the flames into expensive homes in this scenic coastal enclave.

More fire crews were called in from around the state to battle the blaze that had swelled to 1,300 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes.

It remained out of control.

"We really can't do any containment lines. It's too dangerous," Santa Barbara County fire Capt. David Sadecki said. "We're doing some structure protection, but firefighters can be in a safe location one minute and in a dangerous situation the next."

A seaside city of 90,000 about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara rises rapidly from the coastline on the south to the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains in the north.

It dates to the Spanish colonial era, features numerous miltimillion homes and is a major tourist destination.

The city's location gives it some of the best weather in the world, with temperatures routinely topping out in the 70s. However, the hills that offer panoramic views to homeowners also make the area subject "sundowners" _ strong winds that in the afternoon and evening blow downslope through passes and canyons of the mountain range and offshore.

Less than six months ago a fire destroyed more than 200 homes in Santa Barbara and neighboring Montecito.

While Thursday began cool and breezy, temperatures were expected to top 100 degrees with winds picking up to 50-mph gusts. Similar conditions drove the tame blaze into ferocious activity Wednesday afternoon.

"It could be a mirror of yesterday," Sadecki said.

The flames hopscotched across the canyon homes, burning mansions and other dwellings to their foundations while sparing others.

Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, and the National Weather Service issued a "red flag" warning for fire danger, predicting strong wind danger through Friday morning.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department spokesman Drew Sugars said 5,430 homes were under mandatory evacuation. The estimated population of those homes was 13,575 people, he said.

Another 13,000 were advised they should be ready to evacuate, Sadecki said.

Some of the evacuated residents were allowed to return Thursday, the county said, but officials had no specific figures on how many people remained homeless.

Ten firefighters had been hurt, but most had only minor smoke inhalation or injuries such as ankle sprains, Sadecki said.

However, three Ventura County firefighters were hospitalized after they were chased by flames into a burning home they had been trying to protect.

One firefighter was cut by flying glass when a window imploded, said Dr. Richard Grossman of the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles.

The Fire Department identified the men as Capt. Brian Bulger, 57, of Ventura; Capt. Ron Topolinski, 51, of Camarillo and firefighter Robert Lopez, 44, of Port Hueneme.

They were flown to the center, where one was treated for smoke inhalation and two for burns. All were in serious but stable condition, Grossman told KTLA-TV.

Two of the firefighters suffered second- to third-degree burns and could receive skin grafts on Friday, he said.

They could be released in a week, he said.

About 1,400 firefighters were on the lines including crews from Monterey County and San Diego County, along with inmates from the California Department of Corrections.

Water- and fire retardant-dropping aircraft attacked the flames.

"They are trying to hit as many hotspots as they can creeping around homes," city fire Capt. Mike De Ponce said.

In a city that has experienced a number of wildfires, this one was as close to the city center as any he had seen.

The new fire reached the area burned by last year's blaze during the night.

"It's kind of a natural fire break for us," Sadecki said.

Authorities had warned earlier evacuees to not try to return to their homes because of a forecast for a return of strong winds Wednesday afternoon. The forecast proved accurate.

"I went back home at lunchtime but by 4 p.m. the embers started falling," said evacuee Carrie Lauer.

Lauer, 51, and Carol Ostroff, 58, sat on a pickup truck tailgate in a high school parking lot, where about 50 evacuees were spending the night at a Red Cross shelter.

They talked about the "Hansel and Gretel" beauty of Mission Canyon where they live and where the fire was raging.

Ostroff said she evacuated Tuesday and stayed with friends nearby until they too had to evacuate on Wednesday.

"The wind kicked up, and we watched this firestorm on the hill," Ostroff said.

Ostroff, who along with her husband acts as caretaker for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, sells tinctures and herbal wreaths from her home garden at the local farmer's market.

"My garden is my life," she said. "If I lose my garden I'm out of a job. My husband's out of a job too."

Tim Steele, president of the Mission Canyon Association, told the Los Angeles Times the upper part of the neighborhood "looks like a moonscape."

"I thought we had this one under control," he told the newspaper. "I underestimated Mother Nature."

Steele said the association had been working hard to clear brush, and had even brought in 250 goats to gobble vegetation on Tuesday. The goats had to be evacuated when the fire broke out. None were hurt.

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Associated Press Writer Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.

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