One dead, eight injured as Southern California blazes threaten entire communities
MALIBU, Calif. Wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana winds spread across Southern California yesterday, killing one person near San Diego and destroying several homes and a church in celebrity-laden Malibu.
No details were immediately available about the death, but four firefighters and four other people were injured and taken to hospitals, California Department of Forestry spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik said.
The fire responsible for the death and eight injuries was among at least eight blazes stretching from north of Los Angeles to San Diego.
In Malibu, firefighters worked to protect about 200 homes from a blaze that had charred at least 1,000 acres and destroyed a church and several homes, one of them a landmark castle.
No residents or firefighters were injured.
The winds carried embers across the Pacific Coast Highway, closing the popular road and setting fire to cars and trees in the parking lot of a shopping center where a supermarket, drug store and other shops were damaged.
TV footage showed several buildings in flames in the area, including clusters of beach-side homes.
“This fire is zero percent contained, which means we’re at the mercy of the wind,” acting Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said.
The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days.
Fire crews early yesterday found downed power lines, which may have started the fire, Capt. Mike Brown said.
Late Sunday morning, palm trees bent in half and embers were carried through the air as winds gusted to 60 to 65 miles per hour. Thick smoke obscured the sun.
“We’re all scared to death, and we have nowhere to go,” said Malibu resident Susan Nuttall.
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