Nation/World

California city devastated by brush fire as record heat burns a path of destruction

Firefighters battled destructive fire Saturday that snaked through a hillside area of Goleta, one of several blazes that destroyed homes during a record-setting heat wave in Southern California.

Fire firefighters spent the night and morning in pitched battle against the Holiday fire, which exploded Friday night in 100-degree temperatures and dangerous “sundowner” winds that made the blaze impossible to control.

Santa Barbara County said 20 structures had burned and 2,000 people left their homes. The fire had burned 50 to 80 acres and was 5 percent contained, officials said at a morning briefing. No injuries were reported.

The county issued a local emergency declaration, saying the fire “is causing conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons.”

The fire moved so fast that some residents struggled to get out of the hillside community, and 911 lines were jammed with calls.

[Southern California sets all-time heat records]

The Holiday fire is the latest event in a destructive year in Santa Barbara County at the hands of nature. In December, the Thomas fire, the largest wildfire on record in California, ripped through Montecito, Carpinteria and other coastal cities, destroying several homes. Then in January, mudslides in the same area killed 20 people and destroyed still more homes.

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Friday marked a grim beginning to what fire officials have warned will be another year of extreme fire danger, as much of Southern California remains under drought conditions. Last year was the worst fire season on record in the state, with thousands of homes lost and dozens killed _ from Northern California wine country south to Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

The fire in Goleta was fueled by sundowner winds _ notorious in the region and responsible for many of the area’s most devastating fires over the years _ and record temperatures that stayed above 100 degrees well into Friday night.

On Saturday morning, Eric Durtschi looked at the charred remains of his rented hilltop home in Goleta. He bent down and picked up the metal bones of three vintage rifles.

“This one’s the 1873 Winchester,” he said, studying one of them before turning to another. “This is my grandfather’s right here.”

Durtschi, his wife and their six children moved into the house just two weeks ago. They were still unpacking when fire forced them out Friday night. It destroyed their home by morning. Durtschi said he didn’t have rental insurance.

The family had moved from Utah after the school year ended to be near Durtschi’s business partner in their chocolate company. On Friday, two friends from Utah and their three children were visiting for the weekend when Durtschi’s daughter smelled smoke shortly before 9 p.m.

Durtschi walked outside and saw smoke everywhere. He told his wife to get the kids ready to leave, hopped in his truck and saw a wall of flames racing down the road toward them.

He called his wife, told her to pack the essentials and to leave immediately. Meanwhile, he and his friend stayed behind to grab his father’s guitar and his journals, photographs and a hard drive.

“When we came out, there were fist-sized embers falling all over the place,” he said.

Among some of the treasured items lost in the fire were an 8-foot-wide painting of a Nativity scene that Durtschi had given his wife, wood carvings her father had made, his motorcycle and their children’s bicycles.

The family stayed the night with friends in town, but Durtschi couldn’t sleep. He woke at 5 a.m. to inspect the remains of their belongings and to compose himself before going to Santa Barbara to pick up his two oldest sons, who had been with a church youth group all week and didn’t know their home was gone.

“I need to come up with a plan and be strong so the kids aren’t more scared than they already are,” he said. “Hopefully people can learn. I learned a lot last night _ I had no idea the flames could go that fast.”

Neighbors’ houses next door and across the street were safe, but his next-door neighbor’s home also burned. Around the corner, a team of Santa Barbara County firefighters was busy hosing down the inside of another home, sending a plume of smoke into the air.

Firefighters also battled blazes in Alpine, Camp Pendleton, the San Fernando Valley, Cajon Pass, Forest Falls and Montecito Heights.

The Alpine fire hopscotched through parched canyons, destroying 20 structures and scorching more than 400 acres, officials said. One firefighter was taken to a hospital with facial burns and was reported in good condition.

The blaze in Alpine, called the West fire, was first reported about 11:20 a.m. Pushed by winds gusting up to 19 mph, it had consumed 150 acres by 1 p.m. and 350 acres by 2:30 p.m.

Citing high temperatures, low humidity and erratic winds _ “conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property” _ Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency because of the fire.

Many parts of Southern California hit new high-temperature marks Friday, with a few spots reaching the hottest readings recorded. Among the places that set records were Van Nuys Airport (117 degrees), Burbank Airport (114), Santa Ana (114) and Ramona (115), according to the National Weather Service.

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