TEMECULA, Calif. (AP) -- One of three blazes burning on the first day of Southern California's wildfire season destroyed a home and a university building Monday, and hundreds of people were urged to evacuate.
Three fires separated by dozens of miles broke out in 100-degree heat, burning a total of more than 2,000 acres.
One fire, in rolling hills south of Temecula in Riverside County, destroyed a home and a research facility, both of which were used by used by researchers at the University of California, Riverside.
``They are just totally burned to the ground. All that's left is a couple of pieces of steel,'' said Rick Cook, Riverside County's emergency services coordinator.
Residents of about 100 homes were advised to evacuate, said Capt. Rick Vogt of the state Department of Forestry.
The largest of the fires, near the Camp Pendleton Marine base, burned across about 1,500 acres, but was about one-third contained Monday. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.
On Sunday, sheriff's deputies asked 80 families to leave home.
The fires broke out Sunday, a day before the official start of Southern California's 2004 fire season, which was declared three weeks earlier than last year because of dry weather and a tree-killing bark beetle infestation.
Southern California has been in the grip of a record-setting spring heat wave, with temperatures in many areas ranging from the high 90s to the low 100s.
The cause of the three fires was under investigation.
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