Firefighters Work to Contain Calif. Blaze

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A wildfire on the hills near this oceanside city was only 10 percent contained on Thursday, and firefighters struggled to pen in the flames, which had destroyed 75 houses since they began on Tuesday.

Faltering winds slowed the fire’s spread through the day, but officials worried that the blaze could worsen as the humidity dropped, temperatures rose and the evening winds returned.

“Firefighters have been building lines in pieces around the perimeter,” said Mike Carr, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “Now they are working to connect the dots.”

The fire has burned about 2,793 acres, and 15,000 people have been evacuated from the area, which is known for its sprawling mansions and ocean views. A mandatory evacuation order was in effect for about seven square miles from the Santa Ynez foothills to just outside downtown Santa Barbara, the police said.

Hotels in the area were near capacity, with families unable to return to their homes.

Mr. Carr said strong winds expected Thursday evening could threaten 3,500 homes and 100 businesses in the area.

At a news conference here Thursday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that the state’s budget woes would not affect efforts to fight the fire but that the blaze presented a “great challenge.”

“Seventy-five percent of the response cost” would be covered by the federal government, Mr. Schwarzenegger said, after his declaration of a state of emergency on Wednesday.

“This is very, very helpful for us,” he said, “because, as you know, we have a financial crisis in California. But I want to reassure you all that even though we have this crisis, we will not be short of money when it comes to fighting this fire.”

More than 9,000 elementary and high school students were evacuated from schools in the county on Thursday, said Barbara Keyani, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara’s two largest school districts. Ms. Keyani said 12 schools remained closed.

Ten firefighters have been injured, officials said, although most of the injuries were minor. No injuries were reported among evacuees.

At 2 a.m. Thursday, as the winds that had fanned flames rapidly Wednesday afternoon slowed to fitful gusts, a few hundred firefighters slept between shifts in trucks and tents at the city fairgrounds. Sixty or so lay in sleeping bags scattered like blue cocoons over the trim lawn near their command post.

The air smelled of acidic, sweet wood smoke, and ash flakes fluttered to the ground. Crews from across Southern California had come to assist, said Capt. David Sadecki of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Geege Ostroff, 65, walking out of a Red Cross shelter in a high school down the road, said he and his wife, Carole, decided to evacuate ahead of orders on Tuesday, when they saw smoke plumes and orange flames near their home at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens, where he is a caretaker.

“We knew that with the winds what they were, this would grow,” Mr. Ostroff said.

He said he was sure his house had burned.

“Sometimes I think it’s there,” he said, as he held his hat in a gust of wind, “then I realize it’s gone. I miss the stupidest things now, like my coffee grinder. I want to be home.”