Washington - Firefighters on Monday had largely contained a wildfire near Santa Barbara, California and were working to contain another near Santa Cruz.

The 35,000 hectare blaze in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara was 75 per cent contained on Monday. About 2,100 firefighters were working against the fire.

Authorities said the fire could be traced back to a campfire at an illegal marijuana farm in the wilderness outside the wealthy oceanfront community. The Santa Barbara sheriff department said the farm was possibly run by a Mexican drug cartel.

Police had been searching since last month for drug camps among the steep hills and ravines of the California countryside.

A separate fire in the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco was 65 per cent contained, California officials said.

The Santa Cruz fire, which has threatened the communities of Bonny Doon and Swanton, has scorched more than 2,400 hectares and prompted more than 2,000 evacuations.

The cause of the fire, which broke out Wednesday, was still not known. A state of emergency had been declared in the Santa Cruz fire to allow money and aid to quickly be put toward the firefight.(dpa)