Tens of Thousands Flee As Fires Rage Near L.A.

10,000 Acres Consumed; Highways Closed in Sylmar Area

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 -- Erratic, ember-blowing firestorms tore through Southern California on Saturday, consuming more than 10,000 acres, or about 15 square miles, forcing the shutdown of power in several neighborhoods and sending tens of thousands of people fleeing from their homes.

The worst was the Sylmar "Sayre" wildfire, which charred more than 8,000 acres of the northern San Fernando Valley, fanned by winds of up to 75 mph that sent the flames jumping over Interstate 5 and 210 and shut down a handful of other roads.

Hundreds of houses were destroyed by the blaze, including about 500 in a mobile home park. Thousands of structures remained under threat with the fire 20 percent contained. Six firefighters and one civilian had been injured, according to media reports.

Other fires burned in Palos Verdes, Brea and Carona, spreading to Yorba Linda and later Anaheim Hills in Orange County.

Temperatures above 90 degrees, low humidity and powerful Santa Ana winds that sent embers flying through the air fanned the firestorm and sparked additional hot spots in neighborhoods and rugged hillsides. Tanker planes were grounded because of the strong winds.

Firefighters from across the state, who began battling the blaze Friday night with helicopters and bulldozers, numbered more than 1,500 by Saturday morning, said Capt. Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

"We plan ahead, but when you've got a fire as large as this one being fanned by the fuels that we have and the winds that we have -- makes things very difficult to combat," Brown said. "This is nonstop."

In Carona, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles, fires burned more than 800 acres and destroyed 12 structures, said Lynette Round of the Orange County Fire Authority, before it headed toward Yorba Linda. About 30 houses were destroyed there.

Steve Sprenger, whose home was among those destroyed, said he tried to put out the flames at the back with a fire extinguisher before grabbing photos and fleeing with his wife and two children. His mother, who saw his house burn down on television, broke the news to him by phone.

"The fire is so hot, it's so intense, with the smoke and the ashes," Sprenger said. "I did what I could."

What Southern Californians were calling the Freeway Complex blaze jumped the 91 freeway -- where some drivers moved through black smoke and others abandoned their cars -- before exploding into the Anaheim Hills on Saturday afternoon, forcing 3,100 mandatory evacuations. Massive plumes rose from the raging flames in orange and red flickering bursts as firefighters rushed to the area, not knowing how bad the damage was.

In Sylmar, the fierce, western-moving flames produced massive white-brown clouds of smoke and licked at power lines, threatening to send rolling blackouts across the area. The flames prompted the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to shut down transmission lines.