Officials said that helicopters and fixed-wing planes have come to the aid of fire brigades waging their battle across the harsh terrain.
"The Cave Fire is burning under some of the toughest firefighting conditions anywhere in the world", said Los Padres National Forest Fire Chief Jimmy Harris. "We've experienced several offshore wind events at this point, and that has just dried the fuel bed out to the point where we're seeing the fire behavior we saw last night", he added.
He said that firefighters were forced to face high winds, which push the flames up and down the hills.
Authorities added that the Cave fire has not been contained yet but the hope for heavy rains remains.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said that about 4,000 locals who fled the blaze would be permitted to return home on Tuesday afternoon.
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