Eleven killed as fires scorch California
Authorities in California on Sunday said the San Diego County wildfire killed eight people, taking the death toll in the region to 11.
Six separate wildfires blazed on Sunday, licking vast swathes of southern California and destroying hundreds of homes.
About 50,000 people have been evacuated as the wildfires, purportedly the work of arsonists, raged around Los Angeles.
Governor Gray Davis has declared a state of emergency in Ventura, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, as the hot, dry Santa Ana winds, fanning the spreading blaze, showed little sign of letting up.
“We are taking every possible step to support the firefighting effort,” he said.
San Bernardino County, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles has been scorched – with around 100,000 acres of land ravaged.
Air quality in the county has been described as “horrific.”
Weather forecasters said Monday could witness temperatures in the high 90s to 100 degrees, with winds gusting up to 45 miles per hour.
The blaze has been nicknamed the Grand Prix fire because of the speed of its advance.
