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Celebrities flee Malibu homes
25/11/2007 08:01 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Hollywood stars were among thousands of people forced to flee as wind-driven wildfires tore through the celebrity enclave of Malibu on Saturday, gutting nearly 50 multi-million dollar homes and threatening hundreds more, officials and reports said.
Fires erupted at about 03:30 (11:30 GMT) officials said, spreading rapidly through tinder-dry brush as winds packing gusts of up to 80 km/h fanned the inferno, the second major blaze to hit Malibu in a month.
By 17:00 (01:00 GMT), about 1 880 had been scorched and 51 buildings, including 49 homes, had been destroyed.
A further 27 structures had been damaged, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.
A drop in winds allowed firefighters to make inroads into the blaze, which was now 25% contained, officials said.
Los Angeles County fire chief Michael Freeman told a press conference late on Saturday that firefighters expected to reach 50% containment on Sunday provided weather conditions remained favorable.
"A lot will be dependent on the weather conditions tonight, which, based on the predictions, is pretty good," he said. He said he expected fire crews to be deployed for "five days at least."
About 1 700 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fires throughout Saturday, backed up by 23 aircraft including water-dropping helicopters and a DC-10 which was pummeling the infernos with flame retardant.
As darkness fell, most of the fixed wing aircraft were grounded for safety reasons but many ground crews remained in place, Freeman said. Six firefighters had suffered minor injuries during the fires, officials said.
The cause of the fire, which began in the Corral Canyon area of Malibu, was not known, he added.
Malibu, about 30km west of Los Angeles, is home to celebrities such as Sting, Jennifer Aniston, Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Cher and Richard Gere.
Local media reports said actors Matthew McConaughey and Minnie Driver were among those forced to evacuate while Red Hot Chili Peppers bass guitarist Flea's home was destroyed by the flames.
A text message from the rock star said his $10.5m mansion had "burnt to a crisp," The Los Angeles Times reported.
Actress and songwriter Linda Thompson, who has lived in Malibu for 27 years, said her home had escaped major damage but reported that a neighbour's house had been razed by the flames.
- AFP
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