Though the Lake Fire continues to grow, the evacuation zone was reduced along its western edge on Saturday.
As of July 13, the Santa Barbara County fire had burned 37,872 acres (59 square miles) and was 19% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It is California’s biggest wildfire of the season.
Most of the recent growth has been toward the southeast, into a wilderness area of Los Padres National Forest, CalFire said.
The evacuation zone, which had been expanded for five straight days, was downgraded to a warning on the west side, including in the area of the former Michael Jackson Neverland Ranch. It is now about 140 square miles.
The map above shows the approximate fire perimeter as a black line and the evacuation zone in red. For more evacuation details and latest updates, see Santa Barbara County’s emergency map.
The fire started on July 5 near Zaca Lake, in Los Padres National Forest. Its cause is under investigation.
In 2007, the same area was burned by the Zaca Fire, which at that time was the second largest wildfire in California’s recorded history — 240,207 acres (375 square miles). It was started on July 4 by sparks from a grinding tool, and hot spots continued to burn until the last days of October.
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