US officials said strong winds could ignite more blazes across parched parts of California and force more evacuations in areas already under a state of emergency.

The Lockheed fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains blackened close to eight square miles (20 square kilometres) of remote wilderness and prompted mandatory evacuations of the mountain communities of Swanton and Bonny Doon, home to around 2,400 residents and several wineries.

Officials declared a state of emergency on Friday for Santa Cruz County.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who returned to California after attending the Massachusetts funeral of his mother-in-law, Eunice Shriver, was scheduled to visit the fire zone on Saturday.

The steep, rugged terrain and dense vegetation has made it difficult to contain the blaze, so firefighters are focused on keeping flames away from homes.

John Buchanan, Calfire spokesperson said they would have personnel stationed around homes in the surrounding area.

“If a fire does bump up into that, they will be there and do their best to protect those structures,” he added.

As winds picked up on Friday afternoon, officials worried the gusts could ignite more fires and force more evacuations.

The blaze started on Wednesday about 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of Santa Cruz. The fire sent huge plumes of smoke across Monterey Bay.

It damaged two small structures and was threatening more than one thousand homes and buildings, but there have been no reports of injuries. The cause is under investigation.

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