Wildfires burn homes, kill 1 in Los Angeles area
source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwSSrT7-LciDlr1tYmyE9e19oX9QD93PQN0G0
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two wildfires driven by strong Santa Ana winds threatened neighborhoods near Los Angeles on Monday, killing a man, destroying several dozen mobile homes and forcing evacuations.
Firefighters were struggling with a 3,700-acre blaze in the San Fernando Valley's northeastern corner when a new blaze erupted at midmorning a few miles to the west in mountains above the Porter Ranch area and quickly grew to 750 acres.
"It is a blowtorch we can't get in front of," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Frank Garrido.
Fire officials could not immediately estimate how many homes in Porter Ranch were in the fire's path. Flames burned furiously at midday just across a road from one development of luxury homes. Fire officials alerted other communities as far south as Malibu.
The fatality occurred at the first fire, where neighborhoods abut rugged canyonlands below the mountainous Angeles National forest. The victim was a man who appeared to be a transient living in a makeshift shelter, officials said.
About 1,200 people were evacuated because of the Marek Fire, which was just 5 percent contained.
Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Savage said 37 or 38 mobile homes were destroyed by that blaze early Monday.
"We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Mario Rueda said. "Wind is king here, it's dictating everything we are doing."
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, the hospital closest to the Marek Fire, evacuated eight of its most fragile patients to other hospitals. Spokeswoman Carla Nino said those patients — six newborns, a heart bypass patient and another described as "medically fragile _were all on ventilators and were the most difficult to transport.
About 180 patients remained at the hospital as officials waited to determine if the fire would actually approach.
Firefighters were struggling with a 3,700-acre blaze in the San Fernando Valley's northeastern corner when a new blaze erupted at midmorning a few miles to the west in mountains above the Porter Ranch area and quickly grew to 750 acres.
"It is a blowtorch we can't get in front of," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Frank Garrido.
Fire officials could not immediately estimate how many homes in Porter Ranch were in the fire's path. Flames burned furiously at midday just across a road from one development of luxury homes. Fire officials alerted other communities as far south as Malibu.
The fatality occurred at the first fire, where neighborhoods abut rugged canyonlands below the mountainous Angeles National forest. The victim was a man who appeared to be a transient living in a makeshift shelter, officials said.
About 1,200 people were evacuated because of the Marek Fire, which was just 5 percent contained.
Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Savage said 37 or 38 mobile homes were destroyed by that blaze early Monday.
"We could have had an army there and it would not have stopped it," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Mario Rueda said. "Wind is king here, it's dictating everything we are doing."
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, the hospital closest to the Marek Fire, evacuated eight of its most fragile patients to other hospitals. Spokeswoman Carla Nino said those patients — six newborns, a heart bypass patient and another described as "medically fragile _were all on ventilators and were the most difficult to transport.
About 180 patients remained at the hospital as officials waited to determine if the fire would actually approach.
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