More than 500,000 flee as California fires rage for third day

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - More than half a million people were ordered to evacuate across California on Tuesday as wildfires raged for a third day, razing over 1,000 homes and threatening to overwhelm weary firefighters.

The wind-driven infernos have so far scorched at least 335,000 acres (1,355 square kilometers) of tinder-dry brush, making the blaze one of the worst wildfire crises in Californian history.

One person has died and more than 20 people have been injured in fires that erupted on Sunday and spread quickly across the region, fanned by powerful winds gusting in from the desert.

President George W. Bush has declared an emergency in California and ordered federal aid to be directed to the fire-stricken region.

Many parts of the state have experienced record low rainfalls and record-high temperatures this year, leaving vast swathes of rugged countryside bordering built-up residential areas at the mercy of fires.

"All of us across this nation are concerned for the families who have lost their homes, and the many families who have been evacuated from their homes," Bush said during an address in Washington.

"We send our prayers and thoughts with those who've been affected, and we send the help of the federal government, as well."

By Tuesday there were at least 14 separate fires throughout southern California, spanning a region from north of Los Angeles to south of the Mexican border. Some fires were so vast that they could be seen from space and smoke was so thick in the area that weather radars mistook it for rain clouds.

Several thousand firefighters backed up by 316 fire engines, 19 air tankers, 15 bulldozers and eight helicopters battled fires throughout the night.

The Pentagon has sent six Air Force and National Guard water-dropping planes to help tackle the blaze while 1,500 National Guard troops are being deployed to help manage evacuations and assist firefighting efforts.

Chip Prather, the fire chief of Orange County, said the number of fires had stretched state-wide resources to breaking point.

"The bottom line is there is not enough air assets, not enough helicopters, not enough air tankers," he said. "There are not enough resources to go round."

A forestry official meanwhile said the seasonal Santa Ana winds were making the fire impossible to contain at blazes raging near Lake Arrowhead, a popular mountain resort 100 miles (150 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

"The problem with this one has been the winds," US Forest Service spokeswoman Robin Prince said. "It's just moved the fire so rapidly that the fire crews can't keep up with it."

In San Diego, evacuees were sent to Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers American football team. By early Tuesday, 20,000 weary evacuees were huddled inside the stadium, reporters said.

Cindy Alexander, a 54-year-old woman living on disability benefit, was struggling to maintain her spirits after spending the night curled up in the backseat of her son and daughter-in-law's car.

"We've had a hard life," said Alexander, whose home in Ramona had burned to the ground. "It's like 'Okay God -- what else?'"

A statement from San Diego County officials said approximately 513,000 people in the district had received mandatory evacuation orders and an additional 12,000 people had been advised to leave their homes.

The statement said a total of 349,915 households had received calls asking them to evacuate.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said the speedy evacuations of vast numbers of residents had helped keep casualties to a minimum.

"If there's a statistic that so far stands out, it's the fact that we have had minimal loss of life," Sanders said.

"People are moving, people are getting the message and they are responding. Having said that, the weather continues to be unpredictable."

The causes of the different fires raging throughout the state varied, with a fallen power line believed to be the cause of the blaze in Malibu and arson blamed for a fire in Orange County that torched 15,000 acres.

The fires are the worst to hit California since 2003, when 22 people were killed and 3,000 homes were destroyed.