Southern California wildfires force 125,000 to flee their homes
Wildfires affecting San Diego County during the worst drought in decades force mass evacuations and may have killed at least one person
California firefighters battled a series of wildfires on Thursday that have forced 125,000 people to flee their homes in the San Diego area and may have killed at least one person.
Of nine major fires across Southern California, the one called the Cocos Fire posed the most immediate threat. It was advancing toward the communities of San Marcos and Escondido in northern San Diego County.
At least one large home was burned to the ground in suburban San Marcos by that fire. Television images showed towering flames closing in on other homes as residents scrambled to collect belongings and evacuate.
Bright orange flames twisted in the wind, filling the sky with thick columns of black smoke. Fire engines with lights flashing moved along winding streets in neighbourhoods of large Spanish-style homes.
“Even as we speak, there continue to be extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism out there on the front lines.”
Authorities said they would investigate how so many fires started about the same time and whether any were intentionally set.