Is gay the new black?
The gay marriage battle has been cast as the last frontier of equal rights for all.
Anywhere but Thailand
Bangkok hotels have opened check-in facilities to help the 100 000+ stranded travellers.
Search News24
     World : News Get News24 on your mobile Terms & conditions 
Homepage
World
News
South Africa
Africa
Sport
Entertainment
Sci-Tech
Finance
Health
Galleries
 
SA Politics
Zimbabwe
Aids Focus
More...
 
MyNews24
Columnists
Sports Columnists
Feedback
 
National Lottery
UK Lottery
Travel
Competitions
Horoscopes
TV Guides
Classifieds
Currie Cup game
 
Sudoku
Aces High
Silly Solitaire
Word Cube
Make 24
Golf Solitaire
Battleship
More games
 
Stidy
The Biggish Five
Treknet
 
Newsletters
Weather

Cape Town:
18-25°C

Durban:
21-24°C

Johannesburg:
17-30°C

Weather Page

Traffic
Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape
All regions
Indicators
Rand/$ 10.2000
Rand/£ 15.1800
Rand/€ 12.9500
Gold/oz $774.00
Gold Mining 1963.85
+0.00%
All-share index 19713.95
+0.00%
 
HSM in style
Have the kids jumping for joy this Summer with our High School Musical holiday package deal, which includes flights, accommodation and tickets to see the show.

 
Afrikaans
English

The wind is king - firefighters
14/10/2008 18:04  - (SA)  

Want to know more?
Answerit can help.
  • Fires force frantic evacuations
  • LA blaze out of control
  • LA fire threatens homes
  • Los Angeles - Firefighters were bracing for more winds on Monday as they battled to contain two wildfires blazing north of Los Angeles that have left one person dead and forced thousands to flee.

    More than 6 000ha have been scorched by the twin blazes burning near San Fernando and Porter Ranch on the northern outskirts of Los Angeles, which have roared through tinder-dry countryside in 48 hours.

    One person has been killed and at least 1 200 people have been evacuated, prompting California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the region on Monday.

    As dawn broke on Tuesday, firefighters said the fire in Porter Ranch had almost doubled in size to almost 4 000ha and remained uncontained.

    'Wind is king'

    "We are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us," Los Angeles fire department spokesperson Brian Humphrey said. "It depends on the winds.

    "In this situation, wind is king. The winds could even be benevolent."

    The National Weather Service has predicted that winds - packing speeds of up to 110km/h - will continue gusting until Wednesday.

    At the other major fire blazing 24km east near San Fernando, flames had destroyed around 2 000ha and gutted 38 mobile homes, officials said.

    The fire was only 5% early on Tuesday, but Los Angeles County fire captain Mark Savage expressed relief that overnight winds had not been as powerful as feared.

    "So far, so good, but we're not done yet," he said.

    Authorities say 1 200 people have been evacuated from the two fires, but several more neighbourhoods were ordered to leave their homes later on Monday and the number of evacuees may rise.

    The exact causes of the two fires are unknown. They are among several burning across southern California which have broken out since Sunday.

    The biggest of the other fires was burning near the US Marine Corps' sprawling Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego, where 1 000ha had gone up in flames and more than 1 000 homes had been issued with evacuation orders.

    - AFP



    What is this?
    Yahoo Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance
     
    News24 Headlines on your Facebook profile News24 on mobile  



     

    About us | Advertise | Contact us | Job opportunities | Press Releases | Site map

    Back to top
     Jobs
    Business Analyst - International Banks
    Gauteng - North/Sandton
    Banking / Investment / Broking
    Financial Manager (CA) SA
    Gauteng
    Accounting / Finance / Auditing
    SENIOR ERP CONSULTANT/ SYSTEM COORDINATOR
    South Africa
    IT / Telecomms
    IT SYSTEMS MANAGER
    Gauteng - East Rand
    IT / Telecomms
    SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR
    Gauteng - East Rand
    IT / Telecomms
     Sponsored links
    Life Insurance
    Car Insurance
    UK Lottery
    First for Women
    Your Homeloan
    Bid or Buy
    Medical Aid
    Education
    Loans & Credit Cards
    Compare Quotes
    Life Insurance for Women
    Audio, TV, GPS & PS3 etc
    Car Servicing & Repair
    Win up to R1000 free!