A man walks on the beach as a wildfire rages in the hills of Santa Barbara, Calif. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009.
(Dan Steinberg/AP PHOTO)
Authorities in Southern California have ordered residents to evacuate about 1,200 homes because of a wind-driven wildfire burning in Santa Barbara County.
Fire Capt. David Sadecki said 2,000 structures were threatened but none has been lost by late Tuesday evening. Of those structures, 1,200 were homes under evacuation orders.
Firefighters had zero containment on the 160-acre blaze. The cause wasn't known.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Meier said 20-30 mph winds were blowing with gusts to 50 mph. Strong winds were expected through Wednesday.
Sadecki said three helicopters would be fighting the fire through the night.
The blaze started Tuesday afternoon along the foothills above Santa Barbara.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
