S. California fires destroy hundreds of homes

He added: “If we weren’t here, the whole neighborhood would go up. There just aren’t enough fire trucks around.”

Parts of seven California counties were ablaze. By nightfall, embers had ignited spot fires in ultrawealthy Rancho Santa Fe, a suburb north of San Diego. The fires burned in lemon orchards, their smoke choking the air around gated mansions.

Firefighters complained that their efforts to stop the flames were delayed when they were confronted by people who refused to leave their homes.

“They didn’t evacuate at all, or delayed until it was too late,” said Bill Metcalf, a fire boss. “And those folks who are making those decisions are actually stripping fire resources.”

As flames, thick smoke and choking ash filled the air around San Diego County’s Lake Hodges, Stan Smith ignored orders to evacuate and stayed behind to help rescue the horses of his neighbor Ken Morris.

“It’s hard to leave all your belongings and take off, and the bad thing is you can’t get back in once you leave,” Smith said.

“I heard the cops come by, and I just ducked,” Morris said.

Besides, said Smith, “Lots of time the fire doesn’t ever come. It’s come really close before. I’ve seen it so bad you couldn’t even hear yourself talk over the flames and ash blowing everywhere.”

Black smoke blanketed much of northern San Diego and nearby suburbs as flames hopscotched around homes in Rancho Bernardo, a community with many elderly people, destroying one of every 10 homes on one busy street.

Highways, canals and other features normally act as firebreaks. But the towering flames and flying embers rendered them useless this time.

Dozens of motorists gathered on an Interstate 15 overpass in San Diego to watch flames race up a hillside and engulf at least a half-dozen homes. Witnesses said they watched flames jump west across the 10-lane freeway.

“The flames were like 100 feet high and it moved up the hill in seconds. It was at the bottom, it was in the middle, and then it was at the top,” said Steve Jarrett, who helped a friend evacuate his home in nearby Escondido.

Fire near the San Diego Wild Animal Park led authorities to move condors, a cheetah, snakes and other animals to the fire-resistant veterinary hospital on the grounds of the park. The large animals, such as elephants, rhinos and antelope, were left in irrigated enclosures.

The world-famous San Diego Zoo was not immediately threatened.

‘A tragic time’
Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the seven affected counties, opening the way for government aid. He also made 1,500 California National Guardsmen available, and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said the troops’ main focus would be to prevent looting and help with evacuations.

“Its a tragic time for California,” the governor said in Malibu, where a church, homes and a mansion resembling a medieval castle were destroyed over the weekend.

White House deputy press secretary Scott Stanzel said in an e-mail that President Bush called Schwarzenegger to make sure the state is getting the help it needs.

One person died in one of the fires near San Diego. More than a dozen people were hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation, including four firefighters, three of whom were listed in critical condition, officials said. Some of the injured were hikers, while others may be illegal immigrants.

Among the evacuees were members of a National Guard unit that had to flee its barracks, officials said.

Flames forced the evacuation of the San Diego community of Ramona, which has a population of about 36,000.

Christine Baird, 42, was ordered to evacuate her apartment in the Rancho Bernardo area at 5:30 a.m. She moved to California from Canada earlier this year.

“Instead of snow we had ash all over the car,” she said. “This is all new for me. We’ve got no family in the area, so there’s really nowhere else to go.”

The American Red Cross has set up a service for evacuees to register their status and for loved ones to search for evacuees. Either call 1-800-REDCROSS or go to disastersafe.redcross.org.

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