(Montecito) -- It's not such a beautiful morning here.

The sky is a smoky orange.  Ashes are raining down.

The massive Zaca fire is burning 8 miles away as the crow flies, in the wilderness to the north.  This town is known for money, big homes, and celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey.

I'm sure they're not happy to see signs of the fire coming so close.  No point in bringing the Jag or Porsche to the carwash today... New ashes are sure to fall and dirty it up again.

The fire started back on the 4th of July when a ranch worker sent some sparks flying while trying to fix an irrigation pipe.

It's been spreading ever since, and now could cross into Ventura County. 

The fire has chewed up 116,000 acres of brush and millions of dollars of your tax money.

No homes have been lost here.   The blaze is confined to the Los Padres National Forest.  It's remote and isolated, which makes the fire hard to fight.

Right now, 3000 people are working to contain this thing. The price tag for their work is now at $73 million dollars.

Remember:  That's what it's costing to do battle with a fire that is NOT burning near homes.

And the busiest part of the fire season is still a few months away.