Santa Barbara fire stalls but winds forecast

[Auggie]

Source: Associated Press

(05-06) 12:16 PDT Santa Barbara, Calif. (AP) --

Fire officials battling a 196-acre wildfire on slopes above the city of Santa Barbara say the blaze has been static but there is new concern in the latest weather forecast.

Fire Chief Tom Franklin told a noon press conference Wednesday that the new wind forecast for later in the day has worsened and gusts could reach 60 mph while humidity levels fall.

About 2,000 homes are considered threatened and about 1,200 of those have been evacuated since shortly after the fire erupted Tuesday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/05/state/n144312D75.DTL

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Oh boy, here we go again. Seems they come earlier every year.

[kestrel91316]

1. Hot (90s), dry (18%), breezy here in the Valley. Summer has arrived.

The only time it ISN'T fire season anymore is about 2 months in midwinter, IF we're lucky.