Lake Fire grows to more than 16,000 acres in Santa Barbara County, prompting evacuation orders

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- A wildfire that began late Friday afternoon in Santa Barbara County has spread to more than 16,000 acres on Sunday, prompting an evacuation orders, officials said.

Homes are threatened, including Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, officials said.

The so-called Lake Fire began at 3:48 p.m. in the area of Santa Lucia Road, near Zaca Lake in the Los Padres National Forest, according to Cal Fire. No injuries or structural damage were reported.

On Sunday, evacuation orders were issued for Figueroa Mountain Road to the neighborhood within Sawmill Basin, including Tunnel Road and the Figueroa Campground.

Evacuation warnings were issued for Figueroa Mountain Road stretching from the Forest Station to Chamberlin Ranch, and north of Zaca Lake Road, east of Foxen Canyon Road and south of the Sisquoc River.

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Sheltering support information is available by calling (805) 678-3073. Assistance with the evacuation of large animals is available from Santa Barbara County Animal Services, by calling (805) 698-0212 or signing up online.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, the Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District noted that a massive column of smoke from the fire was visible throughout the area, adding that ground-level air quality conditions were currently good to moderate.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.