The wind is king - firefighters
2008-10-14 18:04
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.