As many as 70 structures were consumed and hundreds of people were evacuated Thursday night as a wind-driven brush fire exploded through the hills above Santa Barbara and Montecito.

Shortly before press time, the blaze dubbed the Tea Fire was estimated at some 800 acres, and firefighters appeared severely overmatched by the combination of gusty conditions and hilly, brush-covered terrain.

There were confirmed reports of four injuries, two people who suffered burns and two with smoke inhalation, county spokesman William Boyer said.

The blaze was first reported about 5:45 p.m., and remained wildly out of control six hours later.

Crews from the Montecito, city of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County fire departments were the first called to the blaze, but reinforcements poured in from outside the area.

Strike teams from Ventura County and the Los Angeles area were arriving on scene late Thursday night, and more were on the way, Santa Barbara city officials said.

Details remained sketchy, but video from television news crews showed towering flames and several homes ablaze. Gusts as high as 70 mph were reported, with sustained winds of 20 to 50 mph.

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“From just watching, it's grown significantly in size,” Boyer said.

By 11 p.m., officials were estimating 70 structures had burned, but didn't have any details about whether they are homes or other buildings.

Both the county and city of Santa Barbara have activated their emergency operations centers, Boyer said.

“It's a very serious situation,” Boyer added. “Emergency personnel are in the area. We've got calls out for additional emergency personnel.”

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department asked all off-duty deputies to report to duty in uniform due to the fire.

A county phone line for public information was set up Thursday night and can be reached by calling (805) 681-5197.

The fire began within the unincorporated areas, but had burned into the city of Santa Barbara by 9:30 p.m. The fire was threatening the densely-populated hillside area of Santa Barbara known as the Riviera.

“It looked like lava coming down a volcano,” Leslie Hollis Lopez said as she gathered belongings from her house. “It's very tenuous. We're hoping the winds are favorable.”

One resident described the area as deserted.

“You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes,” Michaelo Rosso told KCAL-TV as he prepared to leave his home. “It sounds like the Fourth of July out here.”

A Santa Barbara fire dispatcher said an unknown number of evacuations had been ordered.

Montecito officials said the mandatory evacuation area encompassed above Highway 192 (East Valley Road/Sycamore Canyon Road) between Cold Springs and Hot Springs roads.

An evacuation warning was issued for residents below Highway 192 (East Valley Road/Sycamore Canyon Road/Stanwood) between Hot Springs and Sycamore Canyon roads, they added.

California Highway Patrol dispatchers received a report that a 17-year-old boy and his father were trapped, with flames in their backyard.

The Red Cross set up an evacuation shelter at San Marcos High School.

Westmont College officials ordered anyone on campus to take shelter - with a message on the college Web site saying, “If you are at Westmont, go immediately to the gym! Do not delay. The fire is just above Westmont.”

By 9 p.m., Westmont officials reported, “Those sheltered in place seem to be doing well under the circumstances, and are now watching a movie. To our knowledge, no one has been injured on campus.”

Spot fire burned on the campus, and school officials said the fire “damaged several minor buildings.”

Justin Kohl, 23, a recent graduate of Westmont, lives near the campus.

“Basically I got home from work today and saw the flames on the hill. It didn't look too bad. I thought they were going to take care of it,” Kohl said.

Thursday night, Kohl and friends were in downtown Santa Barbara, watching news reports and using Google maps in hopes of determining how close flames were getting to their house.

“We're just kind of hoping and watching,” Kohl said.

His sister was one of the students taking shelter in the school gym, along with their aunt and a cousin who were visiting for an event geared to potential Westmont students.

“They seem to be doing fine,” Kohl added.

The fire temporarily knocked out power to more than 20,000 homes in Santa Barbara, said Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein. He said only scattered pockets of homes were without power by late Thursday night.

The area has burned before. On July 27, 1977, the Sycamore Fire sparked, devouring just 805 acres but claiming more than 200 homes in two days, according to the county fire historians.

Thirteen years earlier, the Coyote Fire charred 67,000 acres, claimed the life of a U.S. Forest Service firefighter and destroyed more than 20 homes including the 20-room mansion of Avery Brundage, the president of the International Olympic Committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

November 14, 2008