A wind-driven brush fire destroyed dozens of homes in the hills above Santa Barbara, California, forcing residents to evacuate the area. Within less than six hours, about 70 homes in the wealthy community of Montecito have been destroyed, the Associated Press reported.

The fire broke out at about 5:45 p.m northwest of Los Angeles and quickly spread through more than 120 hectares in the hills eight kilometres south of Santa Barbara. The fire threatened roughly 1,000 homes and several other buildings on the Westmont College campus, a private Christian university, and forced more than 5,000 residents to evacuate from their homes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Four people have been injured, the same source reports. Two were taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with substantial burns. A local fire spokesman said more people could be evacuated if the fire spread more, according to BBC News.

High winds, warm temperatures and low humidity were expected again of Friday morning, which could hinder efforts to stop the fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey owns a 42-acre estate in the wealthy enclave of Montecito. The list of home owners includes other big names such as actors Michael Douglas, Christopher Lloyd and John Cleese. It was not known if their homes were affected.

A year ago, a series of wildfires in the region burned during one week, destroying some 2,000 homes and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.