Rob Lowe: ‘It Was Just Like Armageddon'

The actor says he fled his home with just minutes to spare

Among the victims of the Santa Barbara wildfire are the very rich and the very famous.

Several Hollywood stars are telling the tale of watching the fires threaten and at times destroy the homes they cherish.

Montecito is an area north of Los Angeles in the foothills of Santa Barbara.

Its residents include Michael and Kirk Douglas, Kevin Costner, Christopher Lloyd, Rob Lowe, Ellen Degeneres, John Cleese and Oprah Winfrey. World-famous chef Julia Child lived there for decades.

Lowe says he and his children fled the fire with just minutes to spare.

The 44-year-old actor said in a telephone interview with local station KABC-TV that the entire mountain around his home was on fire and flames were shooting 200 feet in the air.

The actor says his home was ultimately spared, but as they left, the wind was blowing at 70 miles an hour and "it was just like Armageddon."

Lowe says he was watching football with his son Thursday night when his wife called to alert him. He says they didn't see any fire engines or police as they fled.

Winfrey talked about the fire on her show Friday.  She said the flames were two miles from her home. She was not there at the time.

When asked, Winfrey said the first thing she would have grabbed would be her dogs.

Winfrey called Lowe during the broadcast.  He said, "Embers were raining down. They were in our shirts and in our hair."

Lowe went on to say he witnessed about a dozen homes burning to the ground.

Access Hollywood is reporting that actor Christopher Lloyd, of "Back To the Future" fame, was not so lucky.  His home is a total loss.

The actor was not home at the time.

In all, 100 homes have been lost.

A fire chief said late Friday afternoon control of the wildfire is "not even in sight."

Fire crews have been struggling to make gains against the fire before the winds pick up again. Yesterday, evening winds known as "sundowners" pushed the fire with frightening speed, burning through mansions and setting hills aflame.

At least 13 people were hurt in the Mediterranean-style coastal town of Montecito.

The fire broke out yesterday evening and spread to nearly 4 square miles by early Friday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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