A wildfire in the mountains above Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley has exploded to more than 16,000 acres, prompting evacuations near vineyards and Neverland Ranch.

The Lake fire was sparked near Zaca Lake on Friday afternoon just before 4 p.m. and quickly spread through dry grass, brush and timber, officials said. The fire was zero percent contained on Sunday.

The Sheriff’s Department expanded the evacuation area Saturday night along Figueroa Mountain Road near Neverland Ranch, once owned by the pop star Michael Jackson. More ground crews were dispatched to the area.

“Our goal is to keep [the fire] away from all those structures,” said Kenichi Haskett, the public information officer assigned to the firefighting operation. “It’s going to continue to grow.”

The fire was burning in the mountains above Foxen Canyon Road, where there are more than a dozen vineyards. Several wineries north of Los Olivos were closed Sunday after fire officials cut off access to the road.

But there was no need to evacuate, said Ashley Parker, co-owner of Fess Parker Winery.

Though she could see the glow at night north of the winery, the wind appeared to be taking the fire farther north, away from populated areas, Parker said.

The threat level was low enough that the youngsters were simply entertained by the fire helicopters sucking water from the vineyard reservoir, she said.

“My nieces and their husbands live on the ranch,” Parker said. “All the kids were getting a real thrill out of it. Those helicopter pilots are really amazing. So lucky to have great fire crews.”

The fire was fueled by low humidity and hot inland temperatures. When the fire started, a red flag warning was in place because of gusty winds. The wind has now calmed down, but temperatures remain high.

“With less wind, they can get aircraft in there to drop retardant,” said Joe Sirard, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “But it’s life threatening heat for these firefighters.”

He said the humidity was still in single digits in some areas of the fire, especially in the highest elevations. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Amid scorching temperatures, crews continued to battle several wildfires in inland areas across California. The largest is the Basin fire in Fresno County, which started June 26. The fire, which has burned 14,027 acres, was 60% contained on Sunday.

Crews also gained the upper hand on the French fire, which began on the Fourth of July and briefly threatened the town of Mariposa outside Yosemite National Park. The 908-acre fire, which temporarily triggered mandatory evacuations and closed State Route 140 leading into the park, stands at 60% containment.

The weather service has issued an excessive-heat warning until 9 p.m. on Wednesday for inland valleys from Cuyama in San Luis Obispo County down to the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. Forecasters say the highs along this stretch of inland California are expected to range from 106 to 116 degrees.

The relentless heat shattered records in some parts of the state on Saturday. Palmdale tied its all-time record of 115 degrees. Death Valley set a new record for July 6 with a high of 128 degrees.

On Saturday, a cooling trend prompted the weather service to call off excessive-heat advisories and warnings in many of the coastal areas.

In Los Olivos, vineyard managers said they were optimistic the fire would soon be contained. Parker said she expected her winery to reopen Monday.

“I really do believe the firefighters knocked it back and that area is going to be up to speed in a day,” she said. “The last thing I want to do is encourage people not to come. The town of Los Olivos is in good shape. Businesses are open. People are having a good time.”

Adrian De La Cruz, who works at Petros Winery closer to town, said customers were being seated indoors because of the air quality.

“The smoke is getting really bad today,” he said. “Yesterday it was raining ash.”

He said one fire patrol officer stopped by, but he did not have time to talk to him.

“We were busy,” he said.

Firefighters battling flames amid a heat wave in Southern California are struggling to gain control of a wildfire that exploded over the weekend to more than 13,000 acres, prompting evacuations and threatening homes, including Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, officials said.

The Lake Fire burning in Santa Barbara County near the Los Padres National Forest was 0% contained as of Sunday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE).

The Lake Fire is one of 21 wildfires burning in California on Sunday, CAL FIRE said.

Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County

The wildland blaze about 40 miles north of the city of Santa Barbara started on Friday afternoon near Zaca Lake in the Los Padres National Forest.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders on Saturday night as the blaze grew to 13,264 acres. The evacuation orders included the 5000 block of Figueroa Mountain Road, where Michael Jackson’s former ranch is located, officials said.

Warnings were also issued for residents in the surrounding area to be prepared to evacuate, according to the sheriff’s office.

The wildfire erupted during a heat wave that has enveloped the area and most of California.

“An EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING through next week continues to affect the fire with high temperatures, drying vegetation and little relief at night. The National Weather Service has reported that a heat wave this intense, this long, has not been experienced in this region in 20 years,” CAL FIRE said in a statement.

The fire grew rapidly on Saturday amid temperatures in the high 90s and with a relative humidity of around 11%.

“When relative humidity decreases, fire behavior increases because fine fuels like grass and pine needles become drier quickly,” according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA).

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Thompson Fire in Oroville

Fire crews were gaining the upper hand on the Thompson Fire, which started on Tuesday in the Butte County town of Oroville and caused the evacuations of nearly 30,000 residents as it grew to 3,789 acres, according to CAL FIRE. The blaze — which destroyed at least 25 structures, including homes — was 86% contained on Sunday.

Firefighters battled both flames and dangerous temperatures on Saturday in the Oroville area ranging from 110 to 116 degrees, according to CAL FIRE.

“For Sunday, hot and dry conditions will continue although high temperatures will be a couple of degrees cooler. However, the heat will still be at very dangerous levels and the EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING will remain in effect,” CAL FIRE said in a statement.

Most of the evacuations caused by the Thompson Fire were lifted on Saturday.

Basin Fire in San Joaquin Valley

The largest and most stubborn fire in the state, the Basin Fire burning in the foothills east of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, was 60% contained on Sunday after burning 14,027 acres, according to CAL FIRE. The blaze started on June 26 in the Sierra National Forest north of Pine Flat Lake and south of Shaver Lake and Wishon Reservoir.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Temperatures in the area of the Basin Fire are forecast to reach 113 degrees on Sunday and remain in triple digits throughout the week.

French Fire near Yosemite National Park

The French Fire near Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County has burned 908 acres since erupting Thursday and was 45% contained as of Sunday morning, according to CAL FIRE.

Three firefighters were injured battling the wildfire, which has destroyed four structures, CAL FIRE said.

McCain Fire in San Diego County

Another significant fire is the McCain Fire, which started on July 1 in southeast San Diego County.

As of Sunday, firefighters had the fire almost completely out, having achieved 95% containment on the blaze that has burned 1,595 acres.

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• Kings 101, Team China 50 : Box Score | Game Detail

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings 1 defeated China 101-50 in the California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center on Saturday.

Sacramento was expected to win this game easily and they never gave up the lead after a 5-0 start. They actually led 31-18 after the first quarter and took a 52-29 lead into the half. A 25-7 third quarter in favor of the Kings completed their blowout win, winning all four individual quarters by double-digit margins. The Kings shot 51 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free-throw line while China shot 32 percent from the field, 13 percent from long range and 62 percent from the charity stripe. Sacramento outrebounded China 47-27 and had a 23-9 advantage in assists.

The Kings 1 (1-0) were led by Mason Jones, finishing with 19 points, four rebounds and five assists. Keon Ellis had 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Drew Timme tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr led the bench with 16 points and six boards.

Team China (0-1) were led by Shuaipeng Cheng, collecting 16 points. Hansen Yang amassed eight points, three rebounds and two assists. Jiahao Yu totaled four points and five rebounds. No other player on the roster had more than five points, three rebounds or two assists.

Both teams will play again on Sunday, with Sacramento playing the San Antonio Spurs and China matching up with the Charlotte Hornets.