LOS ANGELES — Ferocious desert winds pushed one of three major wildfires burning across Southern California to nearly double its size overnight, firefighters said Tuesday, the third day of the blazes that have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to flee.
The fires have charred more than 25 square miles in suburban Los Angeles and northern San Diego County, with the fiercest blazes burning in the San Fernando Valley, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Investigators are looking into the cause of all three fires.
The whipping winds caused a fire in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, in the Porter Ranch area, to double in size from 5,000 to nearly 10,000 acres overnight, officials said.
But just 10 miles away, the erratic Santa Ana winds subsided, allowing firefighters to contain nearly 70 percent of a blaze burning at the northeast end of the valley. Hours earlier, that fire had been only 5 percent contained. Authorities reduced the acreage on that fire to 4,800 acres from 5,300 acres.
Firefighters worried that the winds could return to the area.
In other parts of the valley, winds were gusting to 50 mph, fire officials said.
The winds didn’t return to the northeast section of the valley as expected overnight, fire inspector Paul Hartwell said. “It’s, how do I want to put this? Controlled optimism.”
In San Diego County, two wildfires that began at Camp Pendleton had merged. Authorities lifted an evacuation order for about 1,000 homes but said another 500 homes along the border of the Marine base remained vacated.
Marine Cpl. Priscilla Vitale said the fire had scorched more than 3,000 acres and was about 25 percent contained.
A new fire that ignited Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, forcing the closure of 20 miles of Interstate 5 for two hours, is under control and the interstate has been reopened, Vitale said.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
