there is just so much fuel and this morning one firefighter said to us as soon as he heard where the fire had broken out, h he knew they were going to have a battle on their hands 600 firefighters battling blazes in bone dry brush. >> it's been quite the fire fight. we've had winds moving upslope, down slope, across the slope. >> across the steep hillsides in santa barbara, the fabled beach town and home to nearly 100,000. >> i'm like oh my god. >> thousands of homes threatened, thousands people forced to flee. flames engulfing highway 154. for some, the only route to safety. after daybreak, tanker air drops. more helicopters join iing the fight. >> the really hard, difficult piece of fighting fire and the weather is some of the most extreme anywhere around.