Wildfires Burn Homes and Force Evacuations in California, while Flames Bedevil Arizona

MORONGO VALLEY, California (AP) -- The first major wildfire of the summer raced across more than 5,500 acres (2,225 hectares) of tinder-dry desert brush, destroying at least six homes, threatening hundreds of others and sending residents of this sparsely populated desert community fleeing for their lives.

A second fire, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) away, burned across more than 2,000 acres (800 hectares) but did not threaten any structures, authorities said. The larger blaze started when a single home went up in flames Wednesday afternoon and those flames quickly spread into nearby desert brush and tall field grass.

Elsewhere, fire crews fought back fast-moving flames approaching Arizona communities near a national forest. Two lightning-sparked brush fires blackened 12,500 acres (5,060 hectares), forcing the evacuation of 175 people from homes in the area. No injuries were reported.

''It's a helpless feeling,'' said one evacuee, Bill Victor. ''It's something to see the flames come over and shocking to realize that you could lose everything.''

In California, wildfires hopscotched up and down hillsides and canyons about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles. The fires threatened as many as 700 homes for a time, and hundreds of people fled their homes, some with nothing, others with just a handful of possessions.

As her husband, Tom, hosed down their house, Ann Lee grabbed their birth certificates and medicines and rounded up their six cats. She then turned to him and said, ''Let's get out of here because even if the fire takes everything we own, I don't plan on dying here.''

The couple, who headed to an evacuation center, had no idea if their home had been spared.

''I'm worried, but it's not going to do me any good throwing a fit or crying,'' said Lee, 46. ''It's in God's hands.''

By midnight only a few dozen homes remained under threat, with much of the fire having moved into a sparsely populated wilderness area.

Bill Peters, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in San Bernardino, said the blaze was 10 percent contained. No estimate for full containment was available.

More than 300 firefighters were tackling the blaze, with more reinforcements being called in, Peters said. One firefighter suffered a minor knee injury.

Weather helped spread the fire rapidly, with sustained winds of about 10 mph (16 kph) and afternoon temperatures that topped 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) on the second day of summer.

Associated Press writers Chris T. Nguyen and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

On the Net:

National Interagency Fire Center: www.nifc.gov