Fire storm consumes 600 mobile homes in California (Roundup)

Nov 15, 2008, 22:12 GMT

Los Angeles - Wild fires Saturday consumed 600 mobile homes as they raged near Los Angeles, opening a second front on the California flame wars that have already devastated areas outside of Santa Barbara.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared states of emergency as fire swept across the nearby San Fernando Valley, forcing the evacuation of 10,000 people.

Los Angeles Fire Captain Steve Ruda confirmed that 600 of the 700 mobile homes in the area were destroyed, the Los Angeles Times reported online.

'Prepare yourselves for the worst,' he told a crowd of about 200 people.

The trailers were destroyed in the town of Sylmar just north of Los Angeles. One man suffered severe burns, US broadcaster CNN reported. The Los Angeles police department sealed off the mobile home park and declared it a crime scene.

The fires were being driven strong winds, said Deputy Fire Chief Don Fraser, adding that the fires was moving faster than a human could run.

On Friday, Schwarzenegger declared a separate state of emergency as more than 1,000 firefighters battled a wildfire near the celebrity hideaway of Montecito near Santa Barbara, 150 kilometres north of Los Angeles.

Up to 200 houses in Montecito were destroyed by the wind-driven flames by Friday night while 13 people were injured and residents from more than 5,400 homes were evacuated. A number of residents suffered from smoke inhalation. One man was reported dead in the area, though it was not clear if the fire was the cause.

Hundreds of firefighters continued to battle the blaze in the Montecito area, with witnesses reporting flames at high as 30 metres.

That fire broke out Thursday evening and had burned around 1,000 hectares by Friday morning. Firefighters poured into the area from around the US state to battle the flames, aided by hundreds of fire engines, nine helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich, Santa Barbara County's assistant executive officer.

Montecito is situated in the coastal mountains just outside Santa Barbara, about 145 kilometers north-east of Los Angeles and is famous as the home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe.