California's wildfire in check -- for now

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Firefighters in California have fended off a blaze threatening more than 3,000 homes in and around the coastal town of Goleta and are turning their attention to preventing its spread toward the nearby picturesque city of Santa Barbara, officials said on Saturday.

Fire crews battling the so-called Gap Fire are holding the line against the blaze that on Friday had menaced Goleta, a town of 30,000 roughly 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, said Manuel Madrigal, a spokesman for the federal, state and local fire units on the scene.

"It's looking really good. The crews are in there cleaning up, mopping up and looking for hot spots," Madrigal said after a night in which firefighters prevented the blaze from consuming any homes in and around Goleta despite flames pressing against residential lots.

Fire crews, backed by 10 airtankers, will now concentrate on rugged terrain near Goleta to block a potential advance toward Santa Barbara, said Rolf Larsen, another spokesman for the multi-agency effort.

"The priority is to put a lot of resources in and order where there are homes and specifically to the east ... where it could move toward Santa Barbara," Larsen said.

The area's steep slopes and canyons are filled with dry brush that in some spots has not burned for a half a century.

Officials on Friday declared the Gap Fire the priority blaze in California. The most populous U.S. state has been beset by more than 1,000 wildfires in recent weeks, many sparked by lightning storms. The cause of the Gap Fire has yet to be determined.

Nearly 1,200 firefighters and other personnel have been able to contain roughly a quarter of the Gap Fire, which has burned 8,357 acres, and they hope to build on that if so-called "sundowner" winds do not pick up.

The gusts typically begin in the evening hours. They were mild on Friday night, giving firefighters in Goleta an opportunity to hold a defensive line.

"At this point we're optimistic," Madrigal said. "But you never know, mother nature could throw something at us."

Fire crews farther up California's coast battling the Basin Complex blaze in and around the scenic Big Sur area about 140 miles south of San Francisco also were hopeful the weather may help them.

The blaze has consumed 68,712 acres in the remote region since starting on June 21 and it is threatening nearly 1,800 homes. Mandatory evacuations are in effect.

Fire crews have successfully defended the village of Big Sur but have been able to contain only 5 percent of Basin Complex blaze, which has destroyed about 20 homes.

They are working under extremely hard conditions. Roads in the Big Sur region are narrow and the area is mountainous with steep inclines running to the Pacific Ocean. The fire has ample fuel from diseased oak trees, tall grass and dry brush.

Radio communications have been broken up by the mountainous terrain so officials have moved their communications center offshore to a boat.

A cool, moist weather hugged the Big Sur coast line on Saturday morning helping firefighting efforts, but it was expected to burn off and hot weather is forecast for California this coming week.

"We're hoping the cooling holds on for the day because we're expecting to get hotter tomorrow," said Rudy Evenson, a spokesman for fire units working on the Basin complex fire.

(Editing by Anthony Boadle)