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Wildfires sweep California

MALIBU (California): Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds threatened thousands of Southern California homes on Monday, as firefighters struggled to combat the blazes that rapidly engulfed the region, killing one and forcing thousands to evacuate.

In many cases, crews could not begin to fight the fires because they were too busy rescuing residents who refused to leave, fire officials told reporters in the San Diego area.

Several new fires sprouted overnight, adding to about a dozen blazes that have already burned 40,000 acres. The fires, which covered swaths of drought-parched land from the high desert to the Pacific Ocean, inflicted some of the worst damage in Malibu, where a church, homes and a castle were charred. — AP

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