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Photos from the 'Tea Fire' in Montecito & Santa Barbara
At least 100 homes have been destroyed and 13 people have been injured in the blaze that began yesterday shortly before 6 p.m. in Montecito near Santa Barbara. At least two buildings at Westmont College were lost as well as many million dollar homes--"the Montecito Zip Code the seventh-highest-priced in the U.S., and the median price of a home is $2.9 million," reports Forbes via the LA Times. Officials have asked nearby residents who were not evacuated were asked to curb water use to nearly zero due to the low water levels in reservoirs that water dropping planes are using. 14,000 people from 5,400 homes were evacuated and Governor Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the conflagration. 2,000-2,500 acres have burned.
Information is being updated live by the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services. LAist Contributer Ken Layne, who was near by, described what he saw earlier this morning.
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