Firefighters battle new blaze in California

Hundreds of California firefighters on Tuesday battled a wind-driven brush fire that grew out of control overnight near Santa Barbara, threatening thousands of homes and prompting evacuation orders. The so-called “Cave Fire” that started on Monday in Los Padres National Forest, grew to nearly 4,300 acres (1,740 hectares) overnight as it moved toward populated areas in the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and nearby communities about a two hours’ drive north of Los Angeles.
Some 600 firefighters were battling the blaze that prompted evacuation orders for about 2,300 homes, or nearly 5,500 people.
Fire officials said helicopters and fixed-wing planes were assisting the firefighters who faced steep, rugged terrain.
Authorities said the fire, the cause of which was unknown, was zero per cent contained by midday Tuesday but they were hopeful that a storm set to arrive in the area later in the day would help extinguish the flames.
The blaze comes on the heels of a series of major fires that erupted in the state last month destroying homes and vineyards and forcing thousands of people to flee.