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| Wildfires blaze across California |
| Wildfires burning out of control are continuing to threaten thousands of homes in the US state of California.
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 22-October-2007
11:6:12 AM |
| At least one person has been killed and thousands evacuated as the fires spread, fanned by fierce winds.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven counties, with 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) burnt from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
Some of the worst damage is in Malibu, where several showbusiness stars, among them Mel Gibson and Sting, have homes.
Officials say the ground is tinder dry after a record summer heatwave.
"The wildfires have caused the loss of human life and serious injuries," Mr Schwarzenegger's office said.
See map of Malibu blazes and nearby celebrity homes
And with forecasters predicting that hurricane-force winds will continue until later in the week, thousands more homes could be at risk, says the BBC's David Willis in California.
Several new fires were reported to have broken out in San Diego county on Monday morning.
During a long heatwave in July, wildfires scorched thousands of acres across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, South Dakota, Washington, New Mexico, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the latest blazes, including one in the town of Potrero, near San Diego.
That fire killed one person and injured four firefighters and at least 10 other people, said Matt Streck, a spokesman for California's Department of Forestry.
It burned more than 14,000 acres (5,700 hectares) just north of the Mexican border town of Tecate, Mr Streck said.
Thousands flee
All 36,000 residents of Ramona, north-east of San Diego, were ordered to leave their homes as another blaze razed more than 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares), said San Diego sheriff's office spokesman Phillip Brust.
I can't ever remember doing this," Mr Brust said. "This fire is crazy."
In seaside Malibu, several buildings were destroyed and thousands of local residents evacuated as flames swept across the hills overlooking the ocean.
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