Hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of residents forced to flee as a series of ferocious wind-driven wildfires raged across Southern California Sunday, virtually circling the city of Los Angeles.
More than 500 mobile homes were gutted and 10,000 people were evacuated by a blaze that ripped through a Los Angeles suburb in what officials said was one of the worst fires to ravage the city in nearly half a century.
The fire, which erupted late Friday in the densely populated district of Sylmar, came as fire-fighters continued to battle a blaze in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north.
Fires also broke out in the cities of Yorba Linda and Corona, south-east of Los Angeles, reportedly destroying at least 20 homes and forcing the closure of several important transport routes.
More than 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate the Orange County burn area, The Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles fire-fuelled by seasonal winds of up to 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour-erupted late Friday and has scorched some 7,900 acres (3,200 hectares).
Ground zero of the firestorm was a mobile home park near Sylmar where more than 500 residences were reduced to a smoldering wasteland. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, blaming the spread of the fire on "absolutely atrocious" winds, said the blaze was one of the worst in the city's history.
Los Angeles Police Department chief William Bratton described the devastation as "absolutely incredible." Around 2,000 fire-fighters, using helicopters, bulldozers and engines, were battling the fire, attempting to halt its advance as a state of emergency was declared across Los Angeles County. At least 11 injuries were reported Saturday, including four fire-fighters in Riverside County who were briefly overtaken by flames, and five fire-fighters were injured in Sylmar, according to The Times.