ABC News Online report
Thousands evacuated as fires menace California homes
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes as a raging wildfire fanned by fierce winds crept into residential areas north-east of Los Angeles, officials said.
In less than 24 hours, the raging blaze had grown from around 3,000 acres to more than 12,000 acres as it raced across forest and brush land, fire officials said.
An army of more than 1,400 fire fighters backed by a flotilla of planes and helicopters were battling the inferno as it lapped around homes and forced the closure of two major freeways.
"Several thousand people have now been evacuated as the fire moves toward built up areas with erratic winds making its direction unpredictable," said Georgia Smith, fire information officer for the San Bernardino National Forest where the blaze is burning.
"Our major concern is that there a lot of homes around the fire. It's a high priority to us as we have houses threatened and lives potentially threatened," said fire spokesman Gil Sanchez.
By Friday afternoon, the fire had destroyed four houses, two outbuildings, six cars, a boat and a fire fighting helicopter that had been forced to land due to mechanical difficulties on Thursday, Ms Smith said.
Officials estimated the damage at $US1.7 million, with the flames showing no signs of abating.