Fire threatens California

amplify image

Photo:EFE

Nearly a dozen wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana winds spread across Southern California on Sunday, killing one person near San Diego, destroying several homes and a church in celebrity-laden Malibu, and forcing hundreds from their homes.

The Malibu fire was among at least ten blazes that burned more than 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares), stretching from north of Santa Barbara to San Diego, as hot weather and hurricane-strength winds marked the height of the traditional wildfire season.

About 700 fire fighters worked to protect about 200 homes in several upscale communities nestled in the Malibu hills, officials said. About 1,500 people fled the fires, officials said.

The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days, county Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said. "I don't have a count at this moment, but let me just say that during the duration of the fire, which is going to last based on our best projections and estimates for a couple of days, as there is going to be literally be thousands of homes that are going to be threatened from one time to the other based on the movement of the fire," he said.

Nancy Hirsch, a Malibu resident, described how she and her family coped with the fire: "We've got a routine where we pack all the valuables or anything that is personal and put them in the car and bring the cars down," she said. She said she had alerted her immediate neighbour who had been living there for 50 years.

The damages

The blaze, which started in Malibu Canyon, had charred at least 1,200 acres and destroyed a church and several homes, one of them a landmark castle. No residents or firefighters were injured, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said.

The winds carried embers across the Pacific Coast Highway, closing the popular road and setting fire to cars and trees in the parking lot of a shopping center where a supermarket, drug store and other shops were damaged. It briefly threatened Pepperdine University.

Meanwhile, four fire fighters and at least ten other people were injured and taken to hospitals on Sunday in connection with the fire near San Diego, said a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry. Details on the death were not immediately available.

The blaze burned more than 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares) or about 22 square miles (57 square kilometers) - near a highway about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of San Diego, just north of the Mexican border town of Tecate, the forestry department spokesman said.

Some of the injured were hikers, and others may be illegal immigrants, he said.

In northeastern Los Angeles County, a fire burned about 10,000 acres (4,050 hectares), or nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers), in just a few hours as about 250 fire fighters tried to get a handle on it.

Ten buildings were destroyed, but it was not clear how many were homes, said county Fire Inspector Ron Haralson. Between 500 and 800 people fled the area, and three people were injured.