Two Reported Dead in California Wildfires
Firefighters continue to battle major wildfires which have destroyed dozens of homes
Wildfires continued to rage across southern California today, destroying dozens of homes, forcing thousands to flee and causing two deaths.
Two fires in the San Fernando Valley, 20 miles north of Los Angeles, extended to 5,260 hectares (13,000 acres) after strong Santa Ana desert winds fanned the blazes overnight.
A third fire broke out early today in Camp Pendleton, a US Marine base north of San Diego, burning 1,214 hectares (3,000 acres) and forcing the evacuation of 1,400 homes.
Further south, near the Mexican border, another fire broke out, forcing the evacuation of 300 homes.
Two thousand firefighters battled the flames, aiming to stop the fires jumping across motorways and reaching the Pacific Ocean, 18 miles away.
"We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it," Los Angeles fire department battalion chief, Mario Rueda, said. "Wind is king here - it's dictating everything we are doing."
The 5,300 acre Marek fire, in the north-east corner of the San Fernando Valley, and the 5,000 acre Sesnon fire, in Porter Ranch, started early on Monday morning.
Authorities confirmed that more than three dozen mobile homes burned in the Marek fire, and 19 structures, some of them homes, were destroyed by the Sesnon blaze. By this morning, the Marek fire was 70% contained.
One man interviewed on the local NBC affiliate said that he had been prepared to evacuate. "We live in southern California," he said, speaking through a smoke mask. "Fire, flood, drought, earthquake - those are the four seasons, right?"
The two fatalities came on Monday. One was a homeless man living with his dog in a shack alongside a motorway near the Angeles National Forest.
The second death came when a tow truck crashed into the back of a car, killing the driver as traffic stopped on a motorway to allow fire engines to pass.
The Santa Ana winds occur between October and February every year, picking up speed as they flow through Southern California's canyons. The winds spread acrid smoke through the area and hindered authorities' ability to use fixed-wing aircraft to drop fire retardant.
However the winds did not reach the heights feared Monday night, peaking at 60mph, and allaying concerns that the fires could reach the coast. The winds were expected to ease on Tuesday, giving way to high temperatures.
Two fires in the San Fernando Valley, 20 miles north of Los Angeles, extended to 5,260 hectares (13,000 acres) after strong Santa Ana desert winds fanned the blazes overnight.
A third fire broke out early today in Camp Pendleton, a US Marine base north of San Diego, burning 1,214 hectares (3,000 acres) and forcing the evacuation of 1,400 homes.
Further south, near the Mexican border, another fire broke out, forcing the evacuation of 300 homes.
Two thousand firefighters battled the flames, aiming to stop the fires jumping across motorways and reaching the Pacific Ocean, 18 miles away.
"We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it," Los Angeles fire department battalion chief, Mario Rueda, said. "Wind is king here - it's dictating everything we are doing."
The 5,300 acre Marek fire, in the north-east corner of the San Fernando Valley, and the 5,000 acre Sesnon fire, in Porter Ranch, started early on Monday morning.
Authorities confirmed that more than three dozen mobile homes burned in the Marek fire, and 19 structures, some of them homes, were destroyed by the Sesnon blaze. By this morning, the Marek fire was 70% contained.
One man interviewed on the local NBC affiliate said that he had been prepared to evacuate. "We live in southern California," he said, speaking through a smoke mask. "Fire, flood, drought, earthquake - those are the four seasons, right?"
The two fatalities came on Monday. One was a homeless man living with his dog in a shack alongside a motorway near the Angeles National Forest.
The second death came when a tow truck crashed into the back of a car, killing the driver as traffic stopped on a motorway to allow fire engines to pass.
The Santa Ana winds occur between October and February every year, picking up speed as they flow through Southern California's canyons. The winds spread acrid smoke through the area and hindered authorities' ability to use fixed-wing aircraft to drop fire retardant.
However the winds did not reach the heights feared Monday night, peaking at 60mph, and allaying concerns that the fires could reach the coast. The winds were expected to ease on Tuesday, giving way to high temperatures.
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