Malibu mansions destroyed in wildfire (Roundup)

Jan 9, 2007, 19:50 GMT

Los Angeles - Four luxury mansions in the star-studded town of Malibu, California, lay in smouldering ruins Tuesday after a wind-fuelled wildfire ripped through the exclusive coastal enclave.

More than 300 firefighters fought in vain Monday to save the structures which were destroyed in 20 minutes by flames over 8 metres high, Malibu mayor Ken Kearsley said.

The flames were fanned by winds gusting at 80 kilometres per hour.

'The houses didn't have a chance,' Kearsley told MSNBC. 'They were burnt in 20 minutes.'

One of the houses belonged to Suzanne Somers, 60, who starred in the 1970s TV sitcom Three's Company and is an author and exercise guru. She was not at home at the time.

Besides the destroyed homes, five other houses were seriously damaged in the blaze.

'We'll rebuild, we will grow spiritually and emotionally,' said Somers. 'We'll learn something from this. It's a beautiful place to live.'

She noted that she was fortunate not to have lost a loved one.

'It started big and hot and exploded,' said television actress Victoria Principal, one of the many celebrities who lives in the area. 'The wind was swirling. It moved so very quickly.'

Principal and others sprayed down their houses as a precaution, while other inhabitants were advised by police to leave their homes.

Authorities still don't know how the fire started, but believe that the first flames sprung up on dry grasslands near a highway some 500 meters away.

In a severe fire around Malibu in 1993, nearly 300 homes were destroyed, and three persons killed.