SAN DIEGO — Southern California’s firestorms showed no sign of abating Monday, reducing hundreds of Southern California homes to ashes and prompting massive evacuations.
At least 14 fires were burning in Southern California, said Patti Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. At least 700 homes and 168 businesses and other structures were destroyed.
Only one person is known to have died.
Firefighters, who lost valuable time trying to persuade stubborn homeowners to leave, were overwhelmed as gale-force winds gusting to 70 mph scattered embers on the dry brush, starting new fires at every turn. California officials pleaded for help from fire departments in other states, including Washington. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made 1,500 California National Guardsmen available.
From San Diego to Malibu, more than half a million people were warned to leave their homes. Thousands of other buildings were threatened by the blazes that covered the equivalent of 420 square miles.
San Diego fire officials said 500 homes and 100 commercial properties had been destroyed by a fire in northern San Diego County that exploded to 145,000 acres.
“It was nuclear winter. It was like Armageddon. It looked like the end of the world,” Mitch Mendler, a San Diego firefighter, said as he and his crew stopped at a shopping center parking lot to refill their water truck from a hydrant near a restaurant.
“We have more houses burning than we have people and engine companies to fight them,” San Diego Fire Capt. Lisa Blake said. “A lot of people are going to lose their homes.”
In two blazes in the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort area in the San Bernardino National Forest, flames swept out of control through forested resort areas. The count of destroyed homes rose to 133.
In the Grass Valley Fire, about 1,500 homes were in the path of the blaze and hundreds of people were evacuated in North Lake Arrowhead and Grass Valley Lake.
Near Green Valley Creek, flames destroyed at least 50 structures.
In north Los Angeles County, a blaze was moving toward Magic Mountain, but officials said it was partially contained.
About 10,000 people in San Diego County sought refuge in Qualcomm Stadium, and other evacuation centers also filled up.
“I could see the flames when I was trying to get the cats in the car. I couldn’t breathe unless I pressed my face into the car. I’d just take a deep breath and run back into the house to get more things. It was very scary,” said Shannon Spilman, 31, who had evacuated to Escondido High School late Sunday night.
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