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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A fast-moving fire broke out on TV Hill Thursday evening, prompting evacuations at the KEYT newsroom and in surrounding neighborhoods.
The Loma Fire broke out just before 9 p.m. Thursday.
As of 10 p.m. the fire had grown to 20 acres with a rapid rate of spread, according to firefighters.
Roughly 50 homes and other structures were threatened.
Firefighters said the fire was zero percent contained as of 10:30 p.m.
Video and photos taken right after the fire broke out showed intense flames burning up the hill just below KEYT's Santa Barbara newsroom.
Evacuations
Santa Barbara County Fire said evacuations were ordered in a box from Loma Alta Drive in the east to Miramonte Drive in the west and from Vista Del Pueblo in the north to Cliff Drive in the south.
Firefighters said multiple commercial buildings and homes were threatened.
The Red Cross set up a station at the Leadbetter Beach parking lot for those who were forced to evacuate from their homes.
Firefighters said a lot of people were stopping to look at the fire. Crews were asking the public to please avoid the area unless absolutely necessary so crews could bring in firefighting equipment and move around safely.
Damage
Santa Barbara County Fire said one structure was damaged.
A fire department spokesman said firefighters stopped a fire that spread to a large home off Via del Cielo, but there was some damage to the home.
Firefighters from multiple departments were responding, including Santa Barbara City Fire, Santa Barbara County Fire and Montecito Fire.
Roughly 17 engine companies were on scene, along with hand crews.
Members of the KEYT news team were able to safely evacuate and spoke with neighbors who had also been evacuated.
I was watching the television and all of a sudden ashes are flying up in the air. They were sweeping up TV Hill's side kind of away from the TV station and right at where I was sitting and then the wind, really really bad, kind of swept it up to the edge of the house which I've always tried to make a fire break there. It kind of swept towards the back of my house and the neighbor's house and they're still working on it, so I don't know what the result of it is," said Steve Belling who lives in the area where the fire was burning.
Wind concerns
Winds were a major concern across the Central and South Coast Thursday. A Wind Advisory over the Central Coast was set to expire at 9 p.m. while a Wind Advisory was to remain in effect across the southern Santa Barbara coastal and mountain areas until Friday morning. The First Alert Weather Team forecasted north to northwest winds would range between 25 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The strongest winds were expected between Gaviota and Refugio, as well as the hills above Montecito.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said winds were a major factor at the beginning of the fire. Spokesman Mike Eliason said there were two main issues with the fire: it was burning up a steep hillside and gusty winds were pushing it.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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May 21, 2021 at 11:59AM
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Fire breaks out on TV Hill in Santa Barbara | NewsChannel 3-12 - KEYT
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