Goleta fire doubles to 2,400 acres

Santa Barbara County supervisors declared a local emergency this morning, paving the way for formal requests of state aid.

County officials said the declaration was prompted by both the blaze and a major power outage Wednesday night, which, they said, may be repeated as flames consume thick vegetation growing beneath electric transmission lines.

"People should take this moment to be ready," said Supervisor Salud Carabajal. "Get the flashlights out, and the portable radios."

Farther north, a dogged wildfire is bearing down on the storied seaside haven of Big Sur, and firefighters are gearing up for a last stand against the flames while authorities prepare to order more evacuations. The blaze had swept within a half-mile of at least one major resort -- the Ventana Inn and Spa -- by mid-morning, as winds whipped the coast, humidity dropped and the fire grew by more than 8,000 acres overnight. But as of noon, winds had shifted and the fire appeared to be backing a way a bit.

The fires are among more than 1,000 that have burned in the state, largely in the north, for more than a week, stretching firefighting resources thin.

On Wednesday night, the Gap fire knocked out electricity for as long as four hours in a large swath of Santa Barbara County, but most of it was restored by midnight, said John Jaysinghe, a Santa Barbara County spokesman.

Burning acreage that has been untouched by flame since 1954, the fire has grown, coming within a mile of residences, but so far has not burned any homes. About 40 homes in two rural canyons remain evacuated today and another 300 are in an area that has been warned that evacuation orders may come.

Thick white smoke blanketed the Santa Ynez Mountains just north of Goleta this morning. But some residents found a measure of relief in the relative calm.

Rusty Eckert, a homeowner who had been up most of the last two nights, gazed at the mountains from her driveway and pronounced the sight good, even as an occasional ash drifted by.

"Oh, I'm happy to see what I'm seeing," she said. "When I don't see flames, I smile." She said she chatted overnight with firefighters from West Covina and Long Beach who had stationed a truck on her block -- just in case.