Wind-driven fires in Calif. kill 1
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 an entire community to evacuate.
The Malibu fire was among at least 10 blazes that burned more than 35,000 acres, stretching from north of Santa Barbara to San Diego, as hot weather and hurricane-strength winds marked the height of the traditional wildfire season. Late Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven Southern California counties.
Four firefighters and at least 10 other people were injured and taken to hospitals in connection with the fire near San Diego, said Matt Streck, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry. Details on the death were not immediately available.
The blaze burned more than 14,000 acres - or about 22 square miles - near a highway about 70 miles southeast of San Diego, just north of the border town of Tecate, Streck said. Some of the injured were hikers, and others may be illegal immigrants, Streck said.
A second blaze charred more than 5,000 acres in northern San Diego County near an area that was ravaged by a pair of wildfires in 2003 and forced the evacuation of the city of Ramona, which has a population of about 15,000.
Several structures were burned on the edge of town and sheriff`s deputies called residents to alert them the fire was approaching the city, said San Diego sheriff`s Lt. Phil Brust.
"I can`t ever remember doing this," Brust said of notifying the town to evacuate. "This fire is crazy."
In northeastern Los Angeles County, a fire that started near Agua Dulce burned about 10,000 acres, or nearly 16 square miles, in just a few hours as about 250 firefighters tried to get a handle on it.
At least 10 structures burned, but probably "many" more than that, said county Fire Inspector Sam Padilla. Between 500 and 800 people fled the area, and three people were injured.
"It`s dark out there and the fire`s moving fast so they can`t count at this point," Padilla said.
Meanwhile, in Malibu, about 700 firefighters worked to protect about 200 homes in several upscale communities nestled in the hills, officials said. About 1,500 people fled the fires, officials said.
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.
TV footage showed several buildings in flames in the area, including clusters of beach-side homes.
"This fire is zero percent contained, which means we`re at the mercy of the wind," acting Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said.
In all, five homes and two commercial buildings had been confirmed lost throughout the Malibu area, Freeman said. Nine more homes were damaged, he said.
The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days, he said. Until the blaze is extinguished, "there will literally be thousands of homes that will be threatened at one time or another," he said.
Fire crews early Sunday found downed power lines, which may have started the fire, Capt. Mike Brown said.
Late Sunday morning, palm trees bent in half and embers were carried through the air as winds gusted to 60 to 65 mph. Thick smoke obscured the sun.
Susan Nuttall sat in her black Mercedes in a cul-de-sac just off the Pacific Coast Highway, saying she had fled her condo just below Pepperdine.
"We`re all scared to death, and we have nowhere to go," said Nuttall, 51, still wearing a bathrobe and holding her Chihuahua.
Flames consumed the landmark Castle Kashan, a stately fortress-like home with turrets and arched windows. Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning building overlooking the ocean.
Erratic wind gusts hampered efforts to drop water from aircraft and pushed flames toward HRL Laboratories, a research and engineering facility owned by Boeing Co. and General Motors Corp. One outbuilding caught fire, Boeing spokeswoman Diana Ball said.
Flames engulfed Malibu Presbyterian Church, which had been evacuated, said youth pastor Eric Smith. "That`s the really good news, that everyone`s out and safe," Smith said.
Faculty and staff at the 830-acre Pepperdine campus had been urged to evacuate in the morning, and students were told to gather in the cafeteria and the basketball arena. But by early afternoon, the campus was "secure," Freeman said.
The 138-acre, well-manicured campus sits is surrounded by rocky bluffs covered with trees and brush. Wildfires threatened the campus in 1993 and 1996, and in January a blaze came within a mile of the school.
About 200 homes had been evacuated in the communities of Malibu Colony, Puerco Canyon, Monte Nido and Sweetwater Canyon, Brown said.
Malibu, home to about 13,000 people, stretches along 27 miles of Pacific coastline. A Santa Ana-driven wildfire in January destroyed the home of actress Suzanne Somers and three other multimillion-dollar residences.
Several other blazes kept firefighters busy Sunday in Southern California, including one near Piru, a town of 1,200 in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles. A condor preserve was also potentially threatened.
In San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, three fires burned, officials said. One vacant home was destroyed, and five to 10 homes were threatened.
A second blaze near San Diego charred nearly 13 square miles in northern San Diego County near an area ravaged by two fires in 2003 and was threatening homes near Witch Creek, authorities said.
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