Crews are battling a wind-driven brushfire that’s threatening homes near the town of Goleta north of Santa Barbara.
The fire started at around 4 p.m. Monday in Los Padres National Forest and quickly grew to about 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares).
The fire was mainly burning in the forest but evacuations were ordered north of Cathedral Oaks in Goleta in the foothills. A fire last year in the coastal city destroyed 13 homes.
There’s no immediate word on whether any homes have been damaged in this new blaze.
The fire is burning through dry, brushy canyons and ridges, pushed by winds gusting to 30 mph.
Weather forecasts call for winds with gusts of 60 to 70 mph at times into Tuesday morning but rain is expected later in the day.
