TWO out-of-control fires roaring along California's central coast are chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening more than 4500 homes.

While flames from the stubborn fire in the northern flank of the Los Padres National Forest inched closer to Big Sur's historic holiday retreats, firefighters further south braced for the return of evening winds that a day earlier caused a wildfire in Santa Barbara County to double in size and race dangerously close to homes.

Residents of more than 5000 homes in and around the city of Goleta were ordered to evacuate, joining about 1700 people told to leave Big Sur days earlier.

Driven by wind gusts as high as 65kmh, the Santa Barbara County fire was so fierce early yesterday that firefighters at one point took shelter in one of about 70 homes they were trying to defend, Captain Eli Iskow, of the county fire department, said.

"The fire is expanding and presenting some very complex challenges because of the terrain and the fact that it hasn't burned in over 50 years," Mr Iskow said. "We've got people on the lines who've never been to California before," he said.

Wind was less of a problem in Big Sur, which remained eerily empty under a thick blanket of fog and smoke at the start of the long holiday weekend.

No more properties were lost since Thursday, but the density of the parched terrain allowed the 13-day-old wildfire to keep advancing on the town, where flames made their way toward the scenic Pacific Coast Highway and sent forest creatures running toward the Pacific for cover.

The Los Padres blazes were two of 335 active wildfires in California, down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires a few days ago, but they were commanding the greatest share of equipment and personnel because they were near populated areas, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered another 200 National Guard troops to report for firefighter training at a former Air Force base in Sacramento and then begin working a fire in Mendocino County early next week.

When they complete the training, they will join 200 National Guard soldiers already building fire lines. More than 19,000 people are working to control blazes throughout the state.

"These additional soldiers will bring much needed assistance to the efforts of the firefighters who continue to tirelessly battle the blazes across California," Schwarzenegger said.

Since a series of dry lightning strikes ignited more than 1,500 wildfires across central and Northern California on June 21, more than 210,000 hectares) of range and forest land has gone up in flames.

Also generating concern is a wind-driven wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, which has burned out about 70 square kilometres), destroying one home and threatening 1,000 more in nearby communities. It was 18 per cent contained.

In Arizona, officials said a blaze southeast of Prescott had burned four homes since it broke out on June 28. The blaze has forced the evacuation of the mountain town of Crown King and was half contained last night.

AP