California wildfires claim lives

Two wildfires driven by strong winds have left two people dead and threatened homes near Los Angeles. One man living in a makeshift shelter was overcome by flames, while a second man died in a head-on crash on a motorway entrance ramp in busy traffic affected by smoke and flames. Firefighters are struggling with a 5,000-acre blaze in the San Fernando Valley's northeastern corner. Another fire also erupted a few miles to the west in mountains above the Porter Ranch area and quickly grew to 2,000 acres as wind blew up to 45 miles per hour, with gusts reaching 70 miles per hour. Thousands of terrified residents were forced to run for their lives as dry Santa Ana winds ferociously whipped flames along the mountains and into hillside neighbourhoods. Under mandatory evacuation orders, many people had time to do little more than flee after grabbing a handful of their most precious possessions. Fire officials could not immediately estimate how many homes in Porter Ranch were in the fire's path. Fire officials have alerted other communities as far south as Malibu, 20 miles away. About 1,200 people were evacuated because of the San Fernando Valley fire, which is just 5 per cent contained, according to officials. The dry and warm Santa Ana winds typically blow into Southern California between October and February. As they whistle through canyons and valleys, they pick up speed, drying out vegetation and hastening the spread of any fires that break out.

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ITN | October 14, 2008

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