Crews make desperate stand in California wildfires

An army of 10,000 firefighters struggled yesterday to contain the worst wildfires in California in years, keeping a wary eye on unpredictable winds that could change course at any moment and whip the flames toward suburban neighbourhoods.

Ten active fires burned from Los Angeles County to the Mexican border, blackening nearly 200,000 hectares, killing 14 people, injuring dozens of others and destroying more than 1,000 homes.

Governor Gray Davis said the wildfires would cost California billions of dollars amid the dire financial woes that prompted voters to recall him from office, and officials said the cost to the state would be unprecedented.

"This will be the most expensive fire in California history, both in loss of property and in cost of fighting it," Dallas Jones, director of the state's Office of Emergency Services, said. More than 10,000 firefighters were battling the fires, aided by crews from Nevada and Arizona.

President George W. Bush has declared a state of emergency and California officials defended themselves against criticism that they had not acted fast enough when the first of 10 wildfires erupted last week.

More than 40,000 people have been forced from their homes and at least 30,000 more homes stood in the path of erratically shifting fires feeding on bone-dry scrub brush and timber.

"The fire forces in California have aggressively pursued every fire in the state as soon as possible with everything we could bring to bear," Jones said. "You have to understand, though, that with this number of wind-driven fires you ultimately run out of resources.

Officials blame the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that blow through southern California each autumn for the ferocity of the fires, and firefighters hoped that calmer conditions would prevail long enough for them to contain the worst blazes.

Of great concern to fire officials was a huge blaze just north of Los Angeles, which threatened two small foothill communities and was burning in areas which were nearly impossible for fire trucks to reach.

"The worst case scenario is that this fire could spread to the west across L.A. County through Rocky Peak into Malibu," Tom Foley, California Department of Forestry Battalion chief. Malibu, a beach enclave, has been plagued in recent years by fires in its canyons and hillsides.

Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger was travelling yesterday to Washington, D.C. to meet congressional leaders and ensure that California gets the federal funds triggered by Mr Bush's declaration of a state of emergency.

Mr Schwarzenegger said he intended to "make sure that we get federal money for people who have had their homes and businesses destroyed."

Fire crews got an unexpected break on Monday when the Santa Ana winds began to weaken and forecasts showed cooler temperatures and lighter winds by mid-week.

The most destructive fires, in San Bernardino County about 80 kilometres east of Los Angeles, destroyed more than 500 homes. Police believe the twin blazes, which merged into one mammoth fire on Sunday, were set by arsonists.

In San Diego County, three fires - one set by a hunter trying to signal his partner - ringed the area and threatened to merge into one enormous fire of 60,000 hectares.

Police said San Diego-area fires killed 11 people, many of whom died trying to run from the flames, and were believed a factor in the deaths of about two dozen others.

The wildfires rained ash across a 1,300 square kilometres area, forcing residents indoors and shutting schools, businesses and, in San Diego, the county courthouses.

"We have basically shut down the county," San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy said. "We have asked employers to keep employees at home.