Fire in California Mountains Sends Up Giant Smoke Column

Residents in parts of Santa Barbara County were ordered to “leave the area immediately” on July 8, as the Lake Fire continued to burn. A number of evacuation orders were also in place for several areas.

Aerial shots captured by Officer Brian Sexton, of the US Forest Service’s Los Padres Aviation division, show a huge column of smoke rising above Figueroa Mountain.

According to forest services, the Lake Fire began just north of Los Olivos, near Zaca Lake, on Friday afternoon.

As of Monday, the fire had burned some 21,763 acres, and was only 8 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

Scott Safechuck, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, told SF Gate the fire had approached Neverland Ranch, the former home of Michael Jackson, but that they had “a lot of firefighters in that area.” Credit: US Forest Service Los Padres Aviation via Storyful