Wildfire burns homes, winery in L.A.'s posh Bel-Air neighborhood

LOS ANGELES - A wind-whipped wildfire raged on Wednesday into a wealthy Southern California neighborhood, destroying at least six homes, threatening hundreds more and scorching a building at a winery owned by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The so-called Skirball Fire, which erupted early on Wednesday morning as the latest in a rash of major blazes fueled by hot, dry Santa Ana winds, had burned about 150 acres near large estates in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles by early afternoon and was only 5 percent contained.

Firefighters battled to save multimillion-dollar homes in the path of the flames, which also forced the closure of the San Diego (405) Freeway in both directions, and warned that if the winds picked up again in the evening the situation could become even more dire.

"We are expecting some extreme wind behavior this evening," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters at an afternoon news conference.

Murdoch's winery, Moraga Vineyards, was evacuated on Wednesday morning as the fire descended on the grounds, a spokeswoman said. Later a structure on the property was seen on fire as crews worked to extinguish the flames.

The new fire also prompted the nearby Getty Center museum to close the doors at its hilltop campus to prevent damage to its world-class art collection.

The Skirball Fire in the area south of scenic Mulholland Drive and north of Sunset Boulevard is just one of several major out-of-control brush fires that have sprung up in Southern California since Monday, when Santa Ana wind conditions set in.

In Ventura, some 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Los Angeles, more than 1,000 firefighters battled the largest, the Thomas Fire, which has already destroyed more than 150 homes and threatened thousands more.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, freeing state funds and resources to assist firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it approved grants to help cover the cost of emergency work for the Thomas Fire and two others.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his thoughts and prayers were with everyone in the path of the wildfires.

"I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local and state officials," Trump wrote on Twitter. "THANK YOU to all First Responders for your incredible work."

Although no casualties have been reported, the fires have forced mass evacuations, cancellation of classes at dozens of schools and resulted in the loss of power at more than 250,000 homes in Ventura County.

In the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, the Creek Fire destroyed at least 30 homes, blackened more than 11,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 2,500 homes and a convalescent center north of Interstate 210 on Tuesday.

Three firefighters were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The Santa Ana winds, which blow westward from the California desert, were forecast to top out at 70 miles per hour (115 km per hour) on Wednesday and remain strong through the week.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US wildfire rages on, threatens San Francisco water

SAN FRANCISCO - Nearly four thousand firefighters battled a fierce blaze on the edge of world famous Yosemite National Park on Tuesday amid fears it could contaminate San Francisco's drinking water supply.

"I see another intense fire day," said Lee Bentley of the US Forest Service, as crews raced to douse the dangerous flames.

The so-called Rim Fire, the 13th largest in state history, has shut the road into one of the country's top tourist destinations.

Ten days after it broke out it is only 20 percent contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The powerful blaze had charred 179,481 acres (72,630 hectares), spokesman Daniel Berlant added in a Twitter update Tuesday.

He said more than 3,700 firefighters were battling the blaze, which began 10 days ago. What sparked it remains unclear.

Although ash from the inferno has reached the reservoir that supplies San Francisco's drinking water, crews said they were confident public health can be protected, local news reports said.

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the main source of fresh water for 2.6 million people living in the San Francisco Bay Area, located some 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the west.

"Water quality is not currently impacted by the Rim Fire," the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said in the latest update on its website.

"We are monitoring water quality every minute of each day to ensure its quality and safety."

The fire is also threatening the iconic giant sequoia trees in Yosemite.

"They are definitely in danger, but we're doing everything we can," Bentley told CNN when asked about the trees.

We've "got a pretty good chance of keeping it away, but it's going to take a heck of a lot of work and a lot of air power."

Schools in several nearby areas were expected to stay closed Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the park said on its website that "most of Yosemite National Park is not affected by the fire and is relatively smoke-free. The northern part of the park... has some smoke. Conditions may change if winds shift."

Highway 120, one of the main routes into Yosemite from the west, was closed due to the fire.

Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for San Francisco due to the threat to its water and even power supplies.

Two hydroelectric power plants have not been in use since August 19 due to the fire, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said on its website.

The state's firefighting efforts got a boost when California received federal assistance over the weekend to help mobilize the necessary resources.

President Barack Obama spoke to California's governor on Sunday and "expressed his gratitude for the brave men and women working tirelessly to combat this devastating fire."

"The President reiterated his commitment to providing needed federal resources to support the ongoing state and local response," the White House added, in an account of the call.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com