Celebrities flee as fire threatens Montecito

Evacuations as crews continue battling wildfire

LOS ANGELES • The growing Southern California wildfire is threatening the wealthy seaside enclave of Montecito, where celebrities have evacuated estates perched on hillsides below heavy flames.

Smoke shrouded Rob Lowe’s home and the actor wore a mask as he livestreamed his family leaving Sunday. Lowe thanked fans on Instagram for their thoughts and expressed gratitude for firefighters, saying “we need you!”

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres said on Twitter that neighbours were helping each other and their animals get to safety. She said she was proud to be a part of the small, exclusive community in Santa Barbara County northwest of Los Angeles.

Retired tennis star Jimmy Connors tweeted that his property was in danger.

Many residents of Montecito and neighbouring Carpinteria not under evacuation orders have opted to leave because of heavy smoke and ash blowing through.

“We’re still anxious. I’m not frightened yet,” Carpinteria resident Roberta Lehtinen told KABC-TV. “I don’t think it’s going to come roaring down unless the winds kick up.”

Crews aided by calm overnight winds kept a wall of flames from descending from mountains into those coastal towns and others after the wildfire exploded in size over the weekend.

Authorities issued new alerts about unhealthy air from smoke and ash.

Richard Sanchez, a manager at Jeannine’s American Bakery Restaurant in Montecito, says customers came in Monday wearing masks. He said smoke was so thick that visibility was down to a few feet and a layer of ash was coating the streets.

Officials warned people in parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties to stay indoors, avoid vigorous outdoor activities and not do anything to stir up ash.

The fire, which had already destroyed more than 750 buildings, burned six more in Carpinteria Sunday. It’s just 10 per cent contained after burning nearly 930 square kilometres.

Officials say the blaze, which broke out a week ago in Ventura County, is now the fifth largest in California history.

Forecasters predicted dry winds that fanned several fires across the region for a week would begin to lose their power Monday. But the possibility of “unpredictable” gusts would keep firefighters on edge for days, Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason said.

Santa Ana winds have long contributed to some of the region’s most disastrous wildfires. They blow from the inland toward the Pacific Ocean, speeding up as they squeeze through mountain passes and canyons.