New evacuations due to forest fires California

montecito - Due to the ongoing forest fires in California, part of the city of Santa Barbara is now also under threat. The California authorities ordered Saturday for new evacuations of this area, writes the LA Times. Residents of the hilly region around Montecito and Summerland, where many rich people live, are advised to seek a safe haven as soon as possible.

The reason for the alarm was the re-fueling of the north wind, which had just lingered on Friday. As a result, the fire spreads in a south-westerly direction. The weather forecasts still promise little good: hot, dry and strong wind. It is now about the third fire in the history of the American state.

The fires, which are called Thomas Fire, have now placed more than a thousand buildings in the ashes. Among them are 750 residences. Apart from the material damage, the deployment of thousands of firefighters and firefighting aircraft has so far cost around € 85 million.

The authorities estimate that more than 104,000 hectares of nature have been put ashore. Especially the area about 150 kilometers northwest of Los Angeles has already suffered badly from the fire. Another 18. 000 buildings are currently at risk, according to the firefighters.

As far as we know, two people have died, a 32-year-old firefighter and a 70-year-old woman.