United States:Fast-moving fires raged across southern California yesterday, forcing at least 250,000 people to flee their homes and destroying hundreds of buildings as desperate fire officials called for help from other states.
More than a dozen separate fires, driven by dry, galeforce Santa Ana winds, burned out of control across the drought-stricken southern half of the state, charring an estimated 200,000 acres, killing at least one person and injuring a number of others.
"It's a tragic time for California," said state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who declared a state of emergency in seven California counties.
The fires forced closures of highways, schools and businesses and sent plumes of thick black smoke drifting across much of the state, blotting out the sun.
The situation was perhaps most dire in San Diego county, at the southern end of the state, where seven fires had burned an estimated 100,000 acres.
University of California San Diego Medical Center's burn centre was placed on high alert, and local radio reports said 13 people had been treated there. One person was killed on Sunday by a fire near the Mexican border.
Two fires that merged north of the city of San Diego and scorched 14,000 acres prompted authorities to order 250,000 people to evacuate from an area of roughly 31sq km (12 square miles), encompassing clusters of upscale residential communities, ranches and country clubs. At least one hospital in the area also was closed due to the threat of the so-called Witch Fire, along with several nursing homes.
Scores of homes were believed to have been lost, but the full extent of structural damage was not known because dense smoke and high winds limited aerial surveillance. Gusts of up to 121km/h (75mph) prevented firefighters from using fixed-wing aircraft to battle the blazes, said Bill Metcalf of the state fire protection service.
Authorities designated Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego as an evacuation centre, and about 5,000 people had turned up there by 9am. The nearby Del Mar Fairgrounds were opened to take in horses and other livestock displaced by the fires.
A blaze in the seaside celebrity enclave of Malibu that had blackened 2,400 acres was partially contained, having already destroyed 10 buildings, including a landmark castle and a church.
But a new fire, possibly sparked by downed powerlines, broke out near the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead. Water-dropping aircraft were dispatched to protect homes in areas that fire trucks could not immediately reach.
Resources were stretched to the limit. Some 10,000 firefighters were on the fire lines and more were pouring in from northern California. Officials said they had asked Nevada for help and would also be seeking assistance from Arizona.
Officials believe the Malibu fire might also have been sparked by downed powerlines, while in Orange County, fire chief Chip Prather said a fire that threatened the city of Irvine was arson.
- (Reuters)