Los Angeles - Wild fires Saturday consumed 600 mobile homes
as they raged near Los Angeles, opening a second front on the
California flame wars that have already devastated areas outside of
Santa Barbara.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa declared states of emergency as fire swept across the
nearby San Fernando Valley, forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people.
Los Angeles Fire Captain Steve Ruda confirmed that 600 of the 700
mobile homes in the area were destroyed, the Los Angeles Times
reported online.
'Prepare yourselves for the worst,' he told a crowd of about 200
people.
The trailers were destroyed in the town of Sylmar just north of
Los Angeles. One man suffered severe burns, US broadcaster CNN
reported. The Los Angeles police department sealed off the mobile
home park and declared it a crime scene.
The fires were being driven strong winds, said Deputy Fire Chief
Don Fraser, adding that the fires was moving faster than a human
could run.
On Friday, Schwarzenegger declared a separate state of emergency
as more than 1,000 firefighters battled a wildfire near the celebrity
hideaway of Montecito near Santa Barbara, 150 kilometres north of Los
Angeles.
Up to 200 houses in Montecito were destroyed by the wind-driven
flames by Friday night while 13 people were injured and residents
from more than 5,400 homes were evacuated. A number of residents
suffered from smoke inhalation. One man was reported dead in the
area, though it was not clear if the fire was the cause.
Hundreds of firefighters continued to battle the blaze in the
Montecito area, with witnesses reporting flames at high as 30 metres.
That fire broke out Thursday evening and had burned around 1,000
hectares by Friday morning. Firefighters poured into the area from
around the US state to battle the flames, aided by hundreds of fire
engines, nine helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich,
Santa Barbara County's assistant executive officer.
Montecito is situated in the coastal mountains just outside Santa
Barbara, about 145 kilometers north-east of Los Angeles and is famous
as the home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe.
USA
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