Devastation 'unprecedented'
2008-11-17 14:07
Los Angeles - Fires raged across California for a fifth day on Monday as investigators began sifting through the smouldering aftermath of infernos that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee.
Around 800 residences - ranging from multimillion-dollar mansions to modest prefabricated mobile homes - have been razed by a series of wind-whipped fires that have erupted through the region since Thursday.
At least 50 000 evacuation orders have been issued and more than 14 400 hectares have been destroyed in the blazes, which have stretched from Santa Barbara to southeast of Los Angeles.
A fire that struck in Los Angeles late on Friday was described as one of the worst to hit the city in nearly half a century but so far only 11 injuries have been reported across the entire region.
Urban search and rescue teams including specially trained dogs were on Sunday sent into the ground zero of the Los Angeles fire, a mobile home park in the northern suburb of Sylmar where nearly 500 residences were incinerated.
Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief Michael Moore said approximately 30% of the devastated mobile home park had been searched on Sunday and no human remains had been found.
"At this point we have no missing persons, no reported missing persons or no evidence to tell us that there is loss of life," Moore said. "It is an exceedingly difficult task. There's still much work ahead of us."
A perfect storm
Los Angeles fire officials meanwhile said progress had been made overnight on Saturday in tackling the 4 000-hectare fire, with 40% containment reached after a lull in fierce local winds.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has declared a state of emergency in the fire affected areas, told a briefing on Sunday that authorities were dealing with a "perfect storm".
"With all these fires all over, this is usually what happens at this time of the year, when we have the perfect storm, which means basically we have high winds, high temperatures and (it's) very very dry," Schwarzenegger said.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the destruction was unprecedented. "What you see is devastation that I've never seen before," he said. "Our hearts are out with all of the people who lost their homes."
A total of around 3 700 firefighters, using helicopters, bulldozers and engines, were battling fires across the state.
Meanwhile, the focus of firefighting efforts had shifted on Sunday to Orange County, south of Los Angeles, where a 9 600-hectare complex of fires near Yorba Linda and Corona was ablaze.
'I don't know if my home is still there'
The fire, which was 15% contained late on Sunday, had destroyed at least 104 residences and eventually prompted as many as 40 000 evacuations in three counties.
Fire officials said they had struggled to keep pace with the fires as they swept through tinder-dry brush and chapparal shrubland.
"We just started losing homes. We didn't have enough units," said Mickey Hansen, a safety officer with the Orange County Fire Authority. "There were just so many fires. There weren't enough (resources) to go around."
In Anaheim, evacuees were gathering at Katella High School, sitting in the gym on black plastic chairs and watching television that broadcast scenes of destruction.
"I don't know if my home is still there," said Taylor, 61, a resident of an apartment complex in Anaheim Hills, who declined to give her last name. "It's scary. I might not have anywhere to go. For now all I can do is pray."
Thick smoke from the Orange County fires had settled over Los Angeles on Sunday, blotting out the downtown skyline as well as famous landmarks such as the city's iconic Hollywood sign.