Fire Alarm

Wildfires Imperil Hundreds of Homes

Arnold declares state of emergency for L.A. County.

Southern California is having a hot time of it. Four fires are raging across the region and the two most severe blazes, near La Cañada Flintridge and on the Palos Verdes Peninsula close to Los Angeles, threaten hundreds of homes. Midday Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in L.A. County. In Palos Verdes, approximately 3,000 people were evacuated, and 500 homes near the two fires were evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to bring all four fires under control. The fire near La Cañada Flintridge consumed more than 500 acres, while a fire near Hemet in Riverside County torched 600 acres, and a fire that started Tuesday in Morris has consumed 1,700 acres but was 45 percent contained by Thursday evening. Overnight, flames even jumped Highway 2.