Wildfire burns homes in Malibu, Calif.

MALIBU, Calif. - A wildfire driven by powerful Santa Ana winds forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the Malibu Hills and briefly threatened a university Sunday. Flames destroyed a church and several homes, one of them a landmark castle.

No residents or firefighters were injured, authorities said.

About 500 firefighters worked to protect Pepperdine University and some 200 homes in the upscale Malibu Crest and Serra Retreat neighborhoods, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla.

The blaze had charred at least 1,000 acres, or more than a square mile. Wind that gusted as high as 65 mph carried embers across the Pacific Coast Highway, closing the popular road and setting fire to cars and trees in the parking lot of a shopping center where several stores were damaged.

Television news video showed several other buildings also in flames in the area, including clusters of beach-side homes.

"This fire is zero percent contained, which means we're at the mercy of the wind," acting Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich said.

Flames consumed the landmark Castle Kashan, a stately fortress-like home with turrets and arched windows, as about a dozen residents watched from across a street. Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning building overlooking the coast.

Faculty and staff members at the 830-acre Pepperdine campus were urged to evacuate, school spokesman Jerry Derloshon said. Students were instructed to gather their belongings from their dorm rooms and report to the school's cafeteria and basketball arena.

But by early afternoon the campus was "secure," county Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said. Flames were no longer visible in the hills around the school, and power had been restored, Derloshon said.

Earlier, helicopters had dropped water on flames in the hills above the campus, and palm trees smoldered on the ocean-facing side of the campus.

At least three homes and two commercial buildings had been confirmed destroyed in the area, and nine other homes were damaged, Freeman said.

The fire is expected to burn for another two to three days, Freeman said. Until it is extinguished, "there will literally be thousands of homes that will be threatened at one time or another," he said.

Fire crews had found downed power lines, which may have started the blaze in Malibu Canyon, fire Capt. Mike Brown said.

Erratic wind gusts hampered efforts to drop water from aircraft and pushed flames toward HRL Laboratories, commonly known as Hughes Lab, a research and engineering facility jointly owned by Boeing Co. and General Motors Corp. about a mile north of Pepperdine. One outbuilding caught fire, Boeing spokeswoman Diana Ball said.

Flames engulfed Malibu Presbyterian Church, which had been evacuated, said youth pastor Eric Smith. "That's the really good news, that everyone's out and safe," Smith said.

Susan Nuttall sat in her black Mercedes in a cul-de-sac just off the Pacific Coast Highway, saying she had fled her condo just below the Pepperdine campus.

"We're all scared to death and we have nowhere to go," said Nuttall, 51, still wearing a bathrobe and holding her Chihuahua.

Mitra Rajabi came to get her 80-year-old mother from her home near Pepperdine.

"We've been through this before, but it's never been this bad," said Rajabi, 39, of Pacific Palisades. "It was like a war zone."

About 200 homes were evacuated the communities of Malibu Colony, Puerco Canyon, Monte Nido and Sweetwater Canyon, Brown said.

To the south, a blaze was also burning near Potrero, about 40 miles southeast of San Diego, fire officials said. One structure had been destroyed and an unknown number of people evacuated, officials said.

Fifty to 100 homes were potentially in harm's way, said San Diego County Fire Capt. Matt Streck.

Wildfires had been widely expected in Southern California during the weekend as hot weather and strong Santa Ana wind marked the height of traditional wildfire season after one of the driest rain years on record.

Malibu, home to about 13,000 people, including many celebrites, stretches along 27 miles of Pacific coastline. Last January, a wildfire driven by Santa Ana winds destroyed the home of actress Suzanne Somers and three other multimillion-dollar residences.

The community also is home to about 25 rehabilitation facilities, including Promises Residential Treatment Center, whose guests have included Britney Spears, Ben Affleck, Charlie Sheen, Diana Ross and Matthew Perry.

By NOAKI SCHWARTZ, Associated Press Writer