"Go time" in Big Sur as massive wildfire bears down

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A massive, out-of-control wildfire bearing down on the scenic coastal town of Big Sur was exhibiting "extreme fire behavior" that had authorities fearing for nearly 1,800 homes and businesses in its path and ordering residents to get out.

Whipped by high winds and burning through drought-ridden wilderness areas, the so-called Basin Complex Fire has burned across 64,305 acres of central California coastline since June 21 and stunned firefighters with a furious charge overnight.

"This is a very active fire. Last night we were seeing 150- to 200-foot flame lengths and generally at night fires do not act like that," Cal Fire spokeswoman Tina Rose said.

"It would not surprise me, unfortunately, if some more homes were destroyed. I hope not. We are trying very hard to protect them. ... It's go time in Big Sur," she said. "There's no messing around. It's getting serious."

Already the flames have destroyed 17 homes and another 1,777 structures in the area were considered endangered by the fire, which jumped a containment line on Wednesday, prompting authorities to order Big Sur's 850 people out.

That evacuation order was extended to cover 25 miles of California coastline on Thursday, after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning over higher winds and lower humidity.

"There's going to be some extreme fire behavior today, we know this," Rose said. "It takes so much for fire commanders to issue mandatory evacuation orders like this. They are not kidding around anymore. This is serious business."

Complicating the situation was that the forests have been plagued by disease since the mid-1990s, she said, killing many trees in the area and providing ready fuel.

"There are literally thousands of dead oak trees in the fire area," Rose said. "It's basically firewood."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited the Big Sur area on Wednesday, has ordered National Guard troops to provide ground support.

Schwarzenegger on Thursday declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County, where another wildfire threatened the coastal community of Goleta, knocking out power and charring 2,400 acres. Evacuations were ordered for remote canyons in the area as air tankers and ground crews struggled to contain the blaze.

Schwarzenegger has to date declared a state of emergency in 11 counties in central and Northern California where more than 1,000 fires have been burning for days.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

Terra/Reuters