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A ruptured gas line burns in front of a large estate as firefighters work to contain a wildfire which has destroyed over 100 homes in the Montecito area of Santa Barbara County, California Nov. 14, 2008. A huge wildfire fanned by strong winds destroyed at least 70 multimillion-dollar homes in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles, officials said. [Xinhua/Reuters]
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California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday proclaimed a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County as a result of a ravaging fire that has already injured at least 13 people and destroyed more than 100 homes.
The fire has burned approximately 2,500 acres (about 1013 hectares) of land with no containment and caused loss of power in the area, the governor said.
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The burnt remains of a car and home are seen in Santa Barbara, California Nov. 14, 2008. [Xinhua/Reuters]
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The fire, which started Thursday night in Santa Barbara about 80 miles (about 128 kilometers) west of Los Angeles, has required mandatory evacuations and road closures, and residents have been forced to seek emergency shelter, according to Schwarzenegger.
"It is hereby ordered that all agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment and facilities for the performance of any and all activities consistent with the direction of my Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the State Emergency Plan, and that OES provide local government assistance under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act," said the governor.
