High winds and changing conditions of the Jesusita Fire on Wednesday prompted the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department to widen its mandatory evacuation order, and power lines affected by smoke have resulted in intermittent power outages along the South Coast.

At a Wednesday evening news conference, public information officer David Sadecki said the fire was burning north to south, at about 40 to 50 miles per hour. At that time, he said the temperature was at about 102 degrees with extremely low humidity.

The mandatory evacuation order has been expanded to include:

» San Roque and Foothill Road south to State Street (western boundary)

» State Street to Micheltorena

» Micheltorena North to the end of the road extending to Alameda Padre Serra.

The overall mandatory evacuation order now includes:

» Morada Lane (western boundary) and Ontare North to Camino Cielo

» Foothill Road and Morada to San Roque

» San Roque south to State Street (western boundary)

» State Street to Micheltorena

» Micheltorena north to the end of the road, extending to Alameda Padre Serra

» Alameda Padre Serra East to Sycamore Canyon Road (eastern boundary)

» North on Sycamore Canyon to Highway 192 West to El Cielito

The evacuation warning area has expanded and now includes:

» La Cumbre Road (western boundary) to State Street

» State Street to De La Vina

» De La Vina to Anapamu

» Anapamu to Anacapa

» Anacapa south to De La Guerra

» De La Guerra to Milpas

» Milpas to Montecito Street

» Montecito Street to Alameda Padre Serra

At the evening news conference, Sadecki said 400 more firefighters have been ordered, which would put the total count of personnel working on the Jesusita Fire at nearly 1,300.

There have been unconfirmed reports of two firefighters being hospitalized from burns, but Sadecki could only confirm a morning injury to a firefighter, who was transported to the hospital for a head injury but was released and sent back to the fire line.

He said 12,000 reverse notification calls through the 9-1-1 system had been issued, but he stressed that people should not wait to be called. “If you feel threatened, don’t wait to leave,” he said.

They have also requested additional police forces to help coordinate traffic as people evacuate.

Residents may have noticed an exploding sound this afternoon, and when questioned about power, Sadecki said that smoke above the lines can conduct electricity, which can cause it to arc and produce those types of sounds. Residents should expect outages throughout the night.

Westmont College began evacuations Wednesday afternoon after multiple fire alarms started sounding, but later returned to normal operations. Santa Barbara City College has canceled all evening classes.

Maintaining water levels in reservoirs is essential for crews fighting the fire. Residents in and out of evacuation zones are asked to conserve water, and evacuees are urged to turn off their water service to avoid potential loss of water pressure in the affected areas.

— Noozhawk staff writers Michelle Nelson (mnelson@noozhawk.com) and Lara Cooper (lcooper@noozhawk.com) contributed to this report.