Fast-spreading wildfire north of Los Angeles prompts evacuations

LOS ANGELES - Firefighters struggled on Sunday to contain a fast-spreading wildfire that killed at least one person, destroyed 18 homes, closed a highway and forced hundreds of evacuations in the drought-parched canyons north of Los Angeles.

The Sand Fire grew overnight to 22,000 acres (8,900 hectares), or more than 34 square miles (88 square km), fueled by high winds and parched conditions after years of drought.

It was threatening a string of small communities near Santa Clarita, just outside the Angeles National Forest, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

A 10,262-acre (4,155-hectare) fire was also burning in a coastal area of Monterey County, 300 miles (480 km) northwest of Santa Clarita, prompting authorities to expand evacuation orders to several communities on Sunday afternoon, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Amber Anderson.

One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries and one structure was destroyed, Anderson said.

The Santa Clarita-area fire, first reported on Friday afternoon, has forced at least 1,500 residents to evacuate their homes and destroyed at least 18 homes, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a statement.

All the affected communities, about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, are in or around the San Gabriel Mountains. The area is dotted with multimillion-dollar homes.

Some 100 commercial buildings in the path of the fire are under mandatory evacuation orders, fire officials said.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department tweeted on Sunday afternoon that an "unexpected wind event" forced officials to rescind a plan to allow residents to re-enter certain areas. "All evacuations will remain in place," the department said.

The California Highway Patrol tweeted that the 14 Freeway was closed to traffic in both directions because of the fire threat.

The remains of an unidentified person were found late on Saturday inside a charred vehicle in the path of the blaze. The exact cause of death had not been immediately determined, fire officials said.

They added that they expected extreme heat, strong winds and parched rugged terrain to continue to hamper the efforts of the more than 1,600 firefighters battling the blaze.

The wildfire was only 10 percent contained on Sunday and the cause of was still under investigation.

"This is the fifth year of an ongoing drought, so we have very extreme fire behavior," Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. "These are not normal times."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Paul Walker's daughter gets $10.1 mln settlement in actor's death

The 17-year-old daughter of late actor Paul Walker has reached a $10.1 million settlement with the estate of the man driving the car that crashed and killed them both in 2013, her attorney said on Friday.

Walker was a passenger in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT driven by Roger Rodas when the car, traveling at speeds of 80 to 93 miles per hour (129 to 150 kilometers per hour), careened into trees and a utility pole in Santa Clarita, northwest of Los Angeles.

Meadow Walker's attorney, Jeff Milam, said in a statement that the settlement would go into a trust for the teen.

The settlement, reached in November 2014, went unnoticed for nearly a year and half because it was filed under "Meadow W.", according to celebrity news website TMZ, which first reported the story.

According to Milam's statement, Rodas was only partially responsible for the crash, and the settlement covers a "fraction of what her father would have earned as an international movie star had his life not been tragically cut short."

Attorneys for Rodas' estate could not immediately be reached for comment.

Walker's death at age 40 led to a lull in production of "Furious 7," the latest movie in the mega-hit action series about illegal street racing that propelled his career.

The 2015 film grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide, making it among the highest-earning films of all time.

Milam said the actor's daughter was continuing her lawsuit against Porsche AG and that she "intends to hold the company responsible for producing a vehicle that was defective and caused Paul Walker's death."

Meadow Walker, the actor's only child and sole heir, filed the complaint against the German automaker last September, accusing it of skimping on safety features that could have prevented the crash or at least kept him alive.

Porsche has maintained that the actor was responsible for his own death. After a four-month investigation, Los Angeles officials said the crash was caused by excessive speed, not mechanical failure.

Milam said Paul Walker survived the impact of the crash, but "burned to death because of Porsche's defective design."

A federal judge presiding over a similar lawsuit filed by Rodas' estate against Porsche in Los Angeles ruled in favor of the car company on Monday, saying: "Plaintiff has provided no competent evidence that Rodas' death occurred as a result of any wrongdoing on the part of Defendant."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Filipino racers in US recall Paul Walker's kindness

SANTA CLARITA, California - It was a day of mourning in Santa Clarita, as thousands visited the site of where movie star Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas died from a car crash last week.

There was a "Fast & Furious" viewing, a motorcade and a car show featuring cars from the hit film series.

Filipinos were among the thousands who paid tribute to Walker, who earned a cult following for his role in the "Fast & Furious" films.

"We're movie fans. We stopped by pay tribute and homage (to Walker)," Noel del Barrio of Montclair said.

"Paul walker had a big impact... So we're just paying our respects," Leighton Villanueva of Lancaster said.

Some Filipino racers, who met Walker at the race tracks, say the actor lived the life he depicted on the big screen.

"I raced with Paul Walker a few years back. We actually shared track time. We'd see each other every so often on the track," Marlon Daraco of San Diego said.

Daraco recalled that whenever Walker was at the tracks, he would come by the pits and talk with them.

Despite being a Hollywood star, they said Walker was down-to-earth.

"I met him. He's a real cool dude, he's a nice guy. It's sad he had to go out that way," Jerwin Sanchez of San Diego said.

Walker was attending a Philippine typhoon relief event held by his non-profit organization Reach Out Worldwide, when the Porsche he was riding in, driven by friend and business partner Rodas crashed into this tree and burst into flames.

Countless candles and tributes have collected on the sidewalk since the fatal accident. Just days before his untimely death, he released a video message rallying help for typhoon Yolanda victims.

"It feels good that he raised awareness and decided to try to help us out. It kills me that he's gone but I know he's in a better place," Daraco said.

A Filipno couple said their charity organization plans on honoring Walker by naming a village in his honor.

"The Gawad Kalinga leaders responded very well and would like to build a legacy village for Paul Walker to honor him because Paul Walker died after raising funds for the victims of typhoon Yolanda," Luzvaminda Macbalo from Las Vegas said.

As police continue investigating the fatal crash, close friends and family are still planning a "special" funeral for the 40-year-old actor.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com