TWO PEOPLE have died and dozens of homes have been destroyed in wildfires raging across southern California, forcing thousands to evacuate.
Two fires in the San Fernando Valley, 20 miles north of Los Angeles, extended to 13,000 acres (50sq km) after strong Santa Ana desert winds fanned the blazes overnight. A third broke out early yesterday in Camp Pendleton, a US marine base north of San Diego, burning 3,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of 1,400 homes. Further south, near the Mexican border, another fire led to the evacuation of 300 homes.
Two thousand firefighters battled the flames, aiming to stop the fires reaching the Pacific Ocean, 18 miles away. "We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it," said LA fire department chief Mario Rueda. "Wind is king here." The 5,300-acre Marek fire, in San Fernando Valley, and the 5,000-acre blaze dubbed Sesnon, in Porter Ranch, started on Monday.
Authorities said more than three dozen mobile homes were destroyed in the Marek fire, and 19 structures, some homes, were destroyed by Sesnon. The Marek fire had been mostly contained.
One man told a local news channel he had been ready to evacuate: "We live in southern California. Fire, flood, drought, earthquake - those are the four seasons, right?" The Santa Ana winds occur between October and February and pick up speed as they flow through the canyons. - ( Guardianservice)