Evacuations ordered in neighborhoods near Montecito hills fire

A wildfire burning in the hills above Montecito in Santa Barbara County has prompted a mandatory evacuation of nearby homes and put other residents on notice that they may soon have to leave their neighborhoods, fire officials said.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for homes north of Mountain Drive, east of Hot Springs Road and west of San Ysidro Road, including San Ysidro Lane, authorities said.

Those with homes east of San Ysidro Road and San Ysidro Lane, as well as east of Park Lane West and west of Buena Vista were put on standby for evacuations but warned they too might soon have to leave.

Dubbed the Cold Fire, the blaze broke out around noon and grew to about five acres in less than an hour and was burning uphill in a remote area. 

There were no immediate reports of injuries or homes damaged by flames. Fire officials have asked for air tankers and water-dropping helicopters and one helicopter was already on the scene. 

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Map: Approximate location of fire shown in red. Credit: Google Maps