A wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds destroyed four seaside mansions and damaged at least two others on Monday as it spread over more than 8ha in the Californian celebrity enclave of Malibu, authorities said.
Flames boiled furiously out of the skeletons of multimillion-dollar beach homes for about two hours until there was little left to burn. No injuries were reported, fire officials said.
Authorities initially said eight homes were lost, but officials cut that number in half after the fire was contained.
TV news helicopters broadcast scenes of a large area of flame blowing down seaside slopes toward shoreline homes, with lines of flashing lights from emergency vehicles. Winds appeared to be blowing the fire toward the ocean rather than up into steep, brushy coastal canyons.
”Unfortunately, the homes in that area are very close together,” said city-council member Pamela Conley Ulich, who stopped at the Michael Landon Community Centre, in a state park near the fire, when she spotted the flames. ”We’re praying that this is going to pass. It’s a catastrophe right now.”
More than 300 firefighters aided by helicopters battled the blaze in the heart of 34km-long Malibu, said Los Angeles county fire inspector Ron Haralson. Streams of water were pumped on to the embers of what were once homes.
Flames could be seen more than 6km away at Duke’s Malibu restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway, said Travis Jang-Busby (20), a host at the eatery. ”The fire is on a point that juts out into the ocean, and it’s burning all expensive, oceanfront homes,” he said.
The fire burned near the Malibu Colony, one of the area’s original beachfront neighbourhoods, dating to the 1930s. The densely built stretch of luxury homes has been a favourite of celebrities over the years.
Famous residents of Malibu include Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan, Pamela Anderson, Barbra Streisand, Ted Danson, David Geffen and Courteney Cox-Arquette.
Malibu has frequently been the scene of devastating fires. In 1993, hundreds of homes were lost and three people were killed. A 1996 fire injured 11 people and destroyed six homes.
Santa Ana winds blow when high pressure forms over the Great Basin and cold, dry air rushes out of the north or north-east toward the coast, reaching high speeds through canyons and passes. — Sapa-AP
Associated Press writers Christina Almeida, Ana Beatriz Cholo and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles contributed to this report