Santa Barbara County’s Alisal Wildfire has now burned more than 13,000 acres of brush, and is five percent contained.
The fire started in the Santa Ynez Mountains Monday, and burned down to the ocean on parts of the Gaviota coastline.
The inferno is being fed by brush which hasn’t burned for decades.
"When you have a fire like this that's burning in an area that hasn't burned since 1955, you couple that with 40 to 50 mile and hour winds, extensive drought, and steep topography, it's just a perfect storm," said Captain Daniel Bertucelli, with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
He says only one structure, an abandoned house, has been lost, but that 80 to 120 are threatened.
Highway 101 remains closed from just west of Goleta to Highway 1, with traffic being rerouted on Highway 154.
Firefighters say it could take days to corral this fire.
