Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency today as a wildfire destroyed at least 100 homes in the celebrity enclave of Montecito and forced about 13,000 residents to flee.

The blaze began at 5:50 p.m. local time yesterday in the Los Padres National Forest, burning more than 2,000 acres (809 hectares). More than 1,100 firefighters have been deployed and 1,500 homes are threatened, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire.

``This continues to be a dangerous fire and residents should remain aware of local conditions and be prepared to respond to any warnings,'' the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said in a statement. Thirteen people were injured, the Associated Press reported.

The area is under a red-flag warning until tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard, signaling the potential for ``explosive fire-weather conditions.''

The wealthy community of Montecito is southeast of Santa Barbara and about 73 miles (118 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles. Actors including Michael Douglas own property there.

`Wall of Flames'

``This is not like the Paint Fire, which was a wall of flames,'' said Geri Ventura, a spokeswoman for the Montecito Fire Protection District, referring to a blaze in the area in 1990. ``This has been a little fire here and a little fire there because of the erratic winds that are picking things up and hopping them and jumping them all over the area.''

The weather hasn't hampered firefighting efforts today, in contrast to last night, she said.

``If the weather cooperates, we can take care of this sooner rather than later,'' she said by telephone from Montecito.

Last night, 70 mph wind gusts were recorded for five hours, said Dave Samuhel, a meteorologist at private forecaster AccuWeather.com in State College, Pennsylvania. The area is also experiencing near-record heat and dryness, he said.

``It is basically a desert air mass with wind added on top of it,'' Samuhel said. ``You can't say enough how high the fire danger is.''

No Relief

Samuhel said the region won't get any relief from the high temperatures, wind gusts and low humidity for several days.

``This is a full weekend event,'' Samuhel said. ``This will be an extreme weekend.''

While winds won't be as severe in the next few days, they will still be high and the hot weather will continue, Samuhel said. ``There is no big cool-down coming,'' he said.

Efforts to battle the blaze have put a strain on the region's water supply, and residents are urged to curb their usage, the Montecito Fire Department said in a statement.

``Water reservoirs have dropped to critically low levels,'' the department said.

In April, Montecito conducted a mock evacuation in the same area, Ventura said.

``We practiced this with the whole community in that exact location,'' Ventura said.

California had an unprecedented early start to its fire season in June, when lightning touched off 1,700 fires in one day that went on to consume more than 1 million acres, a record for destruction.

As of Nov. 7, 73,704 wildfires were reported in the U.S., burning about 5.1 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The 10-year, January- to-November average is 73,070 fires burning 6.8 million acres.

The agency reports there have been 9,589 wildfires in California this year. Schwarzenegger has said the state now has a year-round fire season.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 14, 2008 21:42 EST