California wildfires force mass evacuations
Monday, 22 October 2007 22:36
An estimated 250,000 people have been evacuated across San Diego County as wildfires raged across California.
A spokesman for the San Diego County said hundreds of thousands of people had fled from two large fires ravaging the region.
The wildfires have sparked a state of emergency and mass evacuations in California, forcing Hollywood stars to flee their million-dollar homes and killing at least one person.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the emergency in seven of the state's southern counties late last night as firefighters battled the blazes, which started in the early morning and burned all day, fanned by strong winds.
'Throughout the region, more than 30,000 acres have already burned, and more areas are threatened. The wildfires have caused the loss of human life and serious injuries,' his office said in a statement.
One person was killed and four firefighters were seriously injured while trying to protect a home from a wildfire in Potrero, near the Mexican border, 50km east of San Diego.
At least 13 people were injured elsewhere as the fast-moving flames devoured tree-lined hillsides and filled the area with choking thick smoke.
Authorities ordered 36,000 residents of Ramona, 50 km northeast of San Diego, to evacuate as the flames approached the town.
Strong winds fed the flames, which destroyed a church and numerous other buildings, forcing thousands to evacuate, including entire neighbourhoods in the exclusive seaside town of Malibu.
Watch this special report on mega-wildfires from the US news programme 60 Minutes
