View larger image Kevin Munson, right, Brittany Fryer, second from right, Francesca Scott, left, and an unidentified firefighter watch as the Station fire burns in the hills above Acton, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. (AP / Dan Steinberg)  View larger image Residents help Roberto Bombalier evacuate a 2-year-old horse on foot as the Station fire burning in the Angeles National Forest above Acton, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009. (AP / Jason Redmond)  View larger image A wildfire descends on a home in La Canada Flintridge, about 20 kilometres outside downtown Los Angeles, on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.

2 firefighters die amid raging California wildfires

CTV.ca News Staff

Two firefighters were killed as they battled a raging wildfire near Los Angeles on Sunday, officials said.

The pair died after their vehicle rolled off a steep mountainside in rugged terrain near Mount Gleason, said Los Angeles Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bryant.

The accident occurred amid a massive fire in the Angeles National Forest, which has destroyed 18 structures and is edging closer to thousands of homes.

Officials didn't immediately say what caused the crash.

Meanwhile, the fire has tripled in size and is headed northward, threatening about 12,000 homes, according to fire officials.

On Sunday, authorities urged some residents of Acton, a small town in the Antelope Valley, to leave their homes as the fire continued to spread.

Two people who tried to ride out the flames in a hot tub suffered critical burns and at least three houses in the Angeles National Forest have been destroyed.

Flames have so far forced thousands to flee their homes.

The injured "underestimated" the flames and had to be airlifted to hospital, said Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore.

A third injury was reported on Saturday along Highway 2 near Mount Wilson, officials said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned residents and asked them to be ready to flee the flames.

"There were people that did not listen, and there were three people that got burned and got critically injured because they did not listen," Schwarzenegger said.

Neighbourhoods in Altadena, Glendale, Pasadena, La Crescenta and Big Tujunga Canyon are still under mandatory evacuation orders. Evacuation centres have been set up at two local high schools and an elementary school.

"The leading edge, the one they're really focused on, is that northern edge. It's moving pretty fast up in that direction," said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Randi Jorgenson.

"But the fire's growing in all directions. All fronts are going to be areas of concern today."

Capt. Mike Dietrich, incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, said he had never seen a fire grow so rapidly without the help of the powerful Santa Ana winds.

"Today what happened is what I call the perfect storm of fuels, weather, and topography coming together," Dietrich said. "Essentially the fire burned at will; it went where it wanted to when it wanted to."

The fire has been fuelled by bone-dry conditions and daytime highs around 35 degrees Celsius.

Fire crews from across California are expected to arrive in the area Sunday to help battle the blaze, for a total of about 2,000 firefighters.

The fire, which broke out Wednesday, is the biggest and most dangerous of a number that are burning in southern and central California, as well as in Yosemite National Park.

More than 165 square-kilometres of dry brush in the western part of the Angeles National Forest have been burned by the blaze, which is only about five per cent contained.

At least three people in the evacuation areas have suffered burns and have been taken to local hospitals. The extent of their injuries is not known.

The fire has also compromised air quality in the region, sending bits of ash as far away as downtown Los Angeles. The regional air quality authority has declared air quality poor in cities near the San Gabriel Mountains.

The fire has grown most significantly to the north and west, threatening Santa Clarita, which is near Acton.

Fire crews have also been battling the southeast corner of the fire, which is closing in on a number of homes. Spotter planes and water tankers have been buzzing over the area.

The blaze is burning through the wooded hills near NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in northern Pasadena.

Gary Blackwood, who works at the laboratory, has been closely watching the planes drop fire retardant on the blaze from his nearby home.

"We see a drop (of retardant), we give a big cheer," Blackwood told The Associated Press. "We've watched it now for two days hop one ridge at a time and now it's like we're the next ridge."

Officials are also working to prevent the fire from moving up Mount Wilson, where broadcast and communication antennas are situated, along with the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.

The fire is just one of a number burning in the Los Angeles area, including:

A second blaze in the Angeles National Forest in the canyon above Azusa. The 8.8 square-kilometre fire is expected to be fully contained by Monday.

• A wildfire in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which was 100 per cent contained on Saturday afternoon.
• A 9.5 square-kilometre fire in a rural area of the San Bernardino National Forest, in Riverside County. No structures are threatened, but it is now about 75 per cent contained.
• A 24.3 square-kilometre fire threatening the Pinnacles National Monument has led to the evacuation of 100 homes in Soledad. The blaze, which is about 60 per cent contained, has destroyed one home and was sparked by agricultural fireworks used to contain farm animals.
• A 17 square-kilometre fire is burning in Yosemite National Park. The blaze is now 50 per cent contained. A state of emergency has been declared in Mariposa County.