Wildfire brings destruction to Beverly Hills
Story Highlights• 15-acre blaze wreaks havoc on Beverly Hills
• Winds brought down power lines, which sparked flames
• 2 killed in sandstorm-induced interstate pileup
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Fires erupted in the hills above Los Angeles on Thursday, damaging or destroying several homes as dangerous north winds fueled the flames. Farther inland, a blinding sandstorm triggered a deadly highway pileup.
Wind speeds of more than 50 mph propelled the flames in grass near expensive mountainside homes above the city of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said.
About 200 firefighters, some using water-dropping helicopters, contained the blaze to 15 acres, or less than a square mile, in the Beverly Glen neighborhood on the south face of the Santa Monica Mountains. (Watch as flames blacken Beverly Hills homes )
Interim Los Angeles Fire Chief Douglas Barry said homes were damaged by flames. The fire broke out after powerful winds toppled power lines, igniting brush behind a residence, said Ron Myers, a fire department spokesman.
Daphna Ziman was getting ready for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser at her Woodland Drive home when there was suddenly smoke everywhere. Police came to the door and told her to evacuate.
"It was black outside, you couldn't walk through it, I've never seen anything like it," she said.
Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said late Tuesday the fire was essentially contained, but firefighters were still working because of hotspots and concern that winds could fan embers into flames.
Smaller fires burned elsewhere in Southern California, including a 15- to 20-acre blaze in Palmdale, a desert city in northern Los Angeles County. Homes were threatened for a time before most of the active flames were knocked down, county fire Inspector Sam Padilla said.
Fires caused power outages for more than 190,000 customers in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas and utility officials did not know when service would be restored. Commuters heading east out of Los Angeles found traffic snarled by blacked-out signals and streets cluttered with downed palm fronds.
Southern California is extremely fire-prone after a dry winter. Downtown Los Angeles has recorded less than 2½ inches of rain since July 1.
In the inland region east of Los Angeles, 50 mph winds whipped sandstorms across San Bernardino County's desert roadways.
A morning pileup on Interstate 40 killed two people and injured several others near Barstow during zero-visibility conditions, authorities said.
"It almost looks like fog right now, and it just encompasses hundreds of square miles," said California Highway Patrol Lt. Todd Sturges.
High winds at Los Angeles International Airport forced jets to make second approaches, while others chose to divert to LA/Ontario International Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
