More Than 100 Homes Lost to Santa Barbara Wildfire

The upscale town of Montecito, where Oprah Winfrey and many other celebrities or wealthy individuals have homes, has been devastated by a wind-driven wildfire:

Reporting from Montecito -- A fast-moving brush fire driven by 50- to 70-mph winds erupted Thursday night in the hills above Montecito in Santa Barbara County, burning 1,500 acres, destroying more than 80 homes and forcing evacuations of luxury neighborhoods, authorities said.

The blaze, dubbed the Tea fire, broke out about 6 p.m. in the wealthy Cold Springs area of Montecito, where a number of celebrities live, and quickly overwhelmed firefighters with its speed.

Map of the fires in Montecito Photos: Tea Fire in Montecito hillsOvernight, the fire continued to move slowly west toward Santa Barbara. High winds that had wreaked havoc earlier in the night evaporated by midnight, allowing firefirefighters to concentrate on dousing embers and spot fires, said Geri Ventura, a Montecito Fire District spokeswoman.

But forecasters are calling for a resumption of Santa Ana winds this morning. Gusts are expected to be weaker than the 70 mph winds that firefighters encountered early in the blaze. "Some were having a tough time keeping their chin straps on,'' Ventura said.

The home count is now over 100 and the damage is ongoing as the far continues to spread into populated areas. High winds, known as "sundowners" in Santa Barbara, quickly drove the fire through entire neighborhoods of luxury homes.

I had a little experience with the sundowner winds back on New Year's Eve of 1995. My group had a concert in Atascadero, a couple of hours north of Santa Barbara. On the way north we stopped in Santa Barbara for fuel and everything was normal in town. After the concert we stopped there again on the way home and the town looked like it had been hit by a tornado. 70-mile per hour winds had raked the town earlier in the evening and everywhere we looked there were trees down, branches all over the streets, broken signs, and a general mess. That same phenomenon hit the area last night.

Santa Ana winds are expected in Southern California today and tomorrow, so this probably won't be the end of the fires in the Southland.