Wildfires burning near a California recreation area have prompted new evacuation calls, according to tweets from Santa Barbara County and a statement from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff.
The Alamo fire had grown to 19,000 acres near California Highway 166 and is only 10% contained, the county tweeted.
About 150 to 200 homes were in danger, CNN affiliate KABC reported. It said the quickly-growing fire used tall grass and drought-stricken vegetation for fuel.
“Low humidity, high heat and the winds are right — and there’s just a lot of stuff to burn,” Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Gina DePinto told the Los Angeles Times.
The county said the area affected hasn’t burned in many years. Smoke from the fire is visible in Santa Maria, a city with more than 100,000 residents.
Another blaze, called the Whittier Fire, that was close to Los Padres National Forest was threatening structures at Camp Whittier and Lake Cachuma, the sheriff said. The fire is burning on both sides of highway 154 near the San Marcos Pass
The fire started Saturday and grew to 3,300 acres, according to officials.
On the county Twitter feed, officials said some outbuildings had been burned.
Forecasters said the high temperatures Sunday will be near 95 Fahrenheit. Winds might gust as fast as 20 mph, the National Weather Service said.
There is only a 20% chance of rain.
