Strong winds push wildfire in Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara to 1,200 acres

A wildfire near Santa Barbara continued to grow Thursday afternoon and spread deeper into the Los Padres National Forest as crews struggled to find hilltops and trailheads where they could mount a strong defense, officials said.

“The fuel, topography and weather have been very challenging, to say the least, with this fire,” said Capt. Dave Zaniboni of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. “This has been a significant and challenging fire in an area notorious for structure loss"