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Tea Fire Burning Through Swanky Santa Barbara Enclave

Thursday evening, a blaze erupted in the hills above Santa Barbara, and the so-called Tea Fire has already destroyed 80 homes and injured a handful of residents of Montecito, a swanky enclave just outside the seaside city. Evacuations have been ordered for pretty much everywhere north of Highway 101.

Montecito is known not just for being ritzy but also for the number of celebrity estates there. Oprah Winfrey hosted a $2,300-a-ticket fundraiser for Barack Obama at her place in 2007. Michael Douglas and Rob Lowe also have homes in the area. As for less-famous locals, the LA Times reports that a number of them are holed up at the Holiday Inn in Carpinteria, nervously waiting as more than 1,000 firefighters combat the flames.

Fortunately for the folks who just bought it, Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is outside the danger zone.

Related Stories:
· Unofficial Tea Fire Evacuation Map [Google Maps]
· Wildfire Destroys Homes in California [AFP, via Google]
· Fire Destroys up to 80 Homes [LAT]
· Dangerous Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Edward Vielmetti]