More than 2,000 ordered to evacuate as wildfire rips through California hills

Fire ripped through the hills above Santa Barbara, California, early on Tuesday, causing authorities to order more than 2,000 residents of a nearby valley to flee their homes, according to officials and local media. The Cave Fire started in the Los Padres National Forest at around 4:15 p.m. on Monday in Santa Barbara County, about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The fire had consumed some 4,100 acres by Tuesday morning, with none of it contained, a county fire department official said. Nine helicopters were dropping water to aid 600 firefighters, who were bracing for rainy conditions later in the day, he said. Firefighters from neighboring areas were rushing to Santa Barbara to help the local service control the blaze, authorities said. Nearly 200,000 acres have been consumed in wildfires across the state this year, according to the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection.