California fires, moving north, force Santa Barbara evacuations

Santa Barbara County Fire Department firefighters knock down flames as they advance on homes atop Shepherd Mesa Road in Carpinteria, California. Photos / AP

Monster fires in Southern California raged for a seventh day, edging into Santa Barbara County while leaving residents of neighbouring Ventura County to deal with the aftermath of a historic inferno.

As hundreds fled for safety in Santa Barbara County as the fires spread north, residents in Ventura County sifted through the rubble of what was once their homes. Thousands of other evacuees remained unable to return to their neighborhoods, leaving them to wonder what became of them.

Despite the widespread loss and uncertainty, residents and officials expressed relief and solidarity, with many saying the devastating fires have helped underscore what is most important in life.

"Everyone has been - to even say 'amazing,' that doesn't even - the words cannot even come to mind about what to say about the gratitude that we have," said Tracee Bird, who lost her home. "This is the feeling that's all over Ventura right now, is this whole thing of people coming together."

The Ventura Police Department shuttled people to their homes and allowed them just 45 minutes to retrieve belongings before taking them back to the starting point in the parking lot of Temple Beth Torah in Ventura. Some complained that it has been difficult to get information about the status of their homes and how long they'll be in temporary housing.

"Everything is hearsay because one person will tell you one thing, and another will tell you another," said Rita Horn, while riding with a vanload of people after filling some bags with clothing. "I just don't know what to believe."

Cal Fire couldn't estimate when people might be able to start moving back.

"As long as the areas are a continued threat, we are going to leave those evacuation orders in place, for safety of life," said Charles Esseling, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. "We understand people are antsy and want to get back in there, but we don't want any issues or injuries."

The Thomas Fire, in a coastal region northwest of Los Angeles, remained the largest active fire in the state, having burned through nearly 68,800ha and taking with it more than 500 buildings and at least one life.

Further north, residents of Santa Barbara County were facing the wrath of the advancing fire. About 85,000 households were without power, and authorities were ordering people in the beach communities of Carpinteria and Montecito to evacuate.

Flames are seen behind Carpinteria, California.

Over the weekend, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson warned Ventura residents at a town hall meeting that conditions are still combustible. Though the winds that have been stoking the fire are expected to ease up some during the week, he said, the air will remain warm and dry. He said next weekend could see another Santa Ana wind event, which could lead to the same dangerous conditions Southern California experienced last week.

"All the way through next week, there is going to be potential for elevated, even critical, fire conditions to continue across Ventura County," he said.

In the Hidden Valley neighbourhood, a hilly enclave in southeastern Ventura County, mask-wearing residents could be seen clutching bags of belongings during their 45-minute window to grab and go.

When Bill and Jan Coultas arrived at their home on Viewcrest Drive, they found an injured baby coyote in their front yard, singed from the flames.

"I tried to call animal control, but I never did get through to them," said Bill Coultas, 71. "It just moved. It's gone someplace else."

Another neighbour, 27-year-old Kristal Santos, recently moved in with her cousin, Roxie Allen, after having been displaced by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

"I'm like, really?" she said. "I have a friend who told me, 'Don't come here, you'll bring an earthquake.' "

A home burns off Gobernador Canyon Road in Carpinteria.

Tracee Bird's home caught fire live on television. She and her husband Scott didn't see it; they were driving, trying to get out of town. But a friend called, and they raced back to see their burning house.

They pleaded with emergency workers to let them get close as the flames swallowed their home. Firefighters reluctantly allowed Tracee to capture the awful moment on video.

While watching her home burn down, a television news crew interviewed her. She lamented on camera that she hadn't had time to salvage her Oakland Raiders jersey that bore No. 52 for her favorite player, Khalil Mack.

"That evening, I got a phone call from Khalil Mack, No. 52," she said. "We chatted for 10 minutes; it totally put a smile on our faces."

For a time, the Birds stayed at a hotel in Oxnard, south of Ventura. It so happened that Villanova Preparatory School, a Catholic boarding school in Ojai, had also evacuated to the hotel. When the head master learned the Birds hadn't had time to pack a change of clothes, she removed her Villanova jacket on the spot and handed it to Tracee, then went to her room and returned with more clothes.

"The love is just coming and coming and coming," said Tracee Bird, 48. "It shows the most amazing side of the human spirit that we have."

In Santa Paula, close to the origins of the Thomas Fire, author Laurel Braitman's family was coming to terms with the fact that their 20ha ranch had burned down and that the house Braitman's parents built in 1979 was gone - except for the fireplace, the fireplace tools and, almost as a taunt, an untouched stack of firewood.