LOS ANGELES, Oct 22: Hundreds of thousands of people fled as out-of-control wind-whipped wildfires raged across California on Monday, threatening homes and stretching emergency services to breaking point.

At least 13 fires were blazing throughout southern California with thousands of firefighters struggling to contain flames that have ripped through tinder-try hillsides and parkland following months of record-low rainfalls.

One person has been killed, more than 20 people injured and 90,000 acres destroyed in the fires, which forced the evacuation of an estimated 250,000 people in the San Diego County alone.California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has declared a state of emergency in seven counties to help battle the flames, described the escalating crisis as a “tragedy” for the state.

“It’s a tragic time for California,” Schwarzenegger said after touring charred remains of buildings in the celebrity enclave of Malibu, west of Los Angeles, where fires which erupted early Sunday have wreaked havoc.

As well as firefighters on the ground, authorities bombarded the blazes from above using helicopters and airplanes to drop water and flame retardant.

Fire authorities admit they are struggling to control the fires and are grimly expecting the situation to worsen as powerful, hot desert winds gust across the region this week.

“These fires that are sweeping through Southern California are a perfect storm,” said Los Angeles County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

“The fire department and law enforcement personnel have been stressed almost beyond the point of reason because there are so many fires going mutual aid has been stressed to their limits. This is a perfect firestorm.

“The winds are erratic and unpredictable. There is no telling where the fires will move and when.” Officials in San Diego County confirmed an estimated 250,000 people had been evacuated as the fires raced towards built-up residential areas.

Among the evacuees were prison inmates and hospital patients, while several schools were also closed. Evacuees were being sent to Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the San Diego Chargers’ American football team.

San Diego Fire Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said the wildfires were more serious than the blazes which ravaged California in 2003, leaving 22 people dead and destroying 3,000 homes.

“We believe this is worse than 2003,” Luque said. “The winds have been just incessant, continuous. The focal point is constantly changing, which makes them extremely difficult to tackle.

“It’s hot, it’s windy, it’s smoky. It’s got into residential areas. It’s an extraordinarily challenging environment for our firefighters.

“Our resources are stretched extremely thin at the moment.” In Malibu, residents were struggling to come to terms with damage inflicted by the blaze on Sunday, when the Malibu Presbyterian Church and the 17-million-dollar Malibu Castle were razed to the ground on Sunday.

Thousands of residents have been evacuated, including the homes of “Titanic” director James Cameron and “Grease” movie star Olivia Newton-John among those evacuated. TMZ.com reported on Monday that the exclusive Promises rehabilitation centre, which has hosted troubled stars Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, was being evacuated.

The causes of the different fires raging throughout the state varied, with a fallen power line believed to be the cause of the blaze in Malibu while arson was blamed for a fire in Orange County that torched 7,500 acres.

One person was killed and four firefighters were seriously injured while trying to protect a home from fire in Potrero, 50 kilometers east of San Diego, the fire department said. Seventeen people were injured.

Early Monday the fire had ripped through 20,000 acres of brush and was threatening 1,500 structures as it raced to the Mexico border, a spokeswoman from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Many parts of California, including Los Angeles, have experienced record low rainfalls this year, leaving hundreds of thousands of acres of countryside at the mercy of wildfires.—AFP