A wildfire that broke out in the mountains of Santa Barbara County in Southern California has burned more than 20,000 acres, prompting an evacuation order and threatening ranches including Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch, authorities said.
The blaze, called the Lake Fire, broke out shortly before 4 p.m. Friday near Zaca Lake, just northeast of Los Olivos, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The cause of the fire, which was 8 percent contained as of Monday morning, remains under investigation. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for an area near the Los Padres National Forest that includes the property formerly known as Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, a 2,700-acre property in Los Olivos, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Winds were blowing southeast. Neverland Ranch and other ranches were in immediate danger Sunday, said Kenichi Haskett, public information officer for Cal Fire.
On Monday, he said firefighters worked through the night along the southeast section of the fire to prevent it from spreading to cattle ranches, home to about 500 people, in the Los Olivos area.
About 100 residents were affected by the evacuation order, he said. No structural damage, injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
Mr. Jackson bought the ranch for about $17 million in 1988 and transformed it into a private entertainment complex, including a zoo, a train and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel and a 50-seat theater.
He named it Neverland Ranch, after the mythical island where Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, lives.
Scott Safechuck, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said on social media that temperatures in the area reached 90 degrees over the weekend and relative humidity levels were low.
More than 750 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and Santa Barbara County Fire Department were assigned to the blaze, the U.S. Forest Service said. Air support included 10 air tankers and three helicopters, Safechuck said.
Evacuation warnings have been issued north of Zaca Lake Road, east of Foxen Canyon Road and south of the Sisquoc River, according to Inciweb, the national wildfire and all-hazards incident information system. The sheriff’s office issued additional evacuation warnings Sunday night to include areas north of Calzada Avenue, east of East Oak Trail Road, west of Happy Canyon and south of the Sisquoc River.
The fire was first reported at 3:45 p.m., according to the U.S. Forest Service. A combustible mix of low relative humidity, high winds and scorching temperatures helped spread the blaze to 4,000 acres by 11 p.m., the agency said.
Christine Hauser contribution to the report.
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