California wildfire destroys 20 homes
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An out-of-control, wind-driven wildfire bore down on Santa Barbara on Wednesday, destroying some 20 homes in the rugged central California foothills, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and injuring three firefighters.
The fire, which ignited in the dry brush on Tuesday and was being investigated as an arson, had blackened some 500 acres around picturesque Santa Barbara by nightfall, leaving behind smoldering, burned out husks where multimillion-dollar mansions once stood. (Reuters)
