08 February 2006 Wildfire spreads near LA
Fires in California have destroyed roughly 3,500 acres of Wilderness near the outskirts of Orange County suburbs.
Residents of nearly 2,000 homes have been evacuated and main roads have been cut off as high winds spread the fires even further in Cleveland National Forest.
Helicopters and airplanes dropping water have been deployed to tackle the blaze, which broke out approximately 25 miles from central Los Angeles.
High winds and low humidity as well as difficult terrain are believed to have made the situation more treacherous.
"The Santa Anas blow right through here and they're supposed to blow for another couple of days. That's the scary part. They can really get going," said Gary Treguboff, who lives in the Serrano Heights area of Orange County.
Residents in LA reported ash occasionally falling over the city and two elementary schools have been closed down.
Firefighters are desperately trying to battle the fires in an attempt to prevent a similar catastrophe to the fires in 2003 which killed 22 people and destroyed over 3,000 homes.
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