Fire winds ease over California

Estimated fire damage stands at more than $1bn.

Weather forecasts have raised hopes of some respite from the wildfires raging out of control across southern California for the last four days.

Forecasters say the Santa Ana winds, which fuelled the spread of the flames and had reached hurricane strength, are just starting to die out.

But correspondents say firefighters still face a huge task in controlling the fires, as no rain is expected.

President George W Bush is due to fly to the area later.

He has declared seven counties in the state as a major disaster area.

About one million people have had to leave their homes, officials say.

Among the worst affected areas is around San Diego, where evacuation centres are struggling to provide shelter for more than 300,000 people.

Only one person has been killed as a direct result of the fire.

But the fires have destroyed more than 1,600 homes and the material damage is estimated to have risen to more than $1bn.

Police say at least one of the larger fires may have been started deliberately.

One arson suspect was shot dead by police after a pursuit and another was arrested, police said, although neither man has been connected with any major fire.

Mixed picture

The fires have ravaged at least 674 sq miles (1,745 sq km) of land from Santa Barbara down to the Mexican border.

TACKLING THE FLAMES 8,000 firefighters - including a number of prison teams 1,500 national guards 50 helicopters 55 firefighting planes Source: Office of Emergency Services

In some areas, wind speeds on Wednesday were down to 21-36 mph (34-58km/h), from highs of 100mph earlier in the week.

Helicopters and air tankers took advantage of the weather to drop 30 to 35 loads of water on two fires that have burned hundreds of homes in the San Bernardino Mountains, near Lake Arrowhead.

Several major fires were contained in Los Angeles County.

Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire Rescue Department, told the BBC that while the crisis was easing in urban San Diego, some rural areas were still under threat.

"The weather has turned a little more calm, there's no winds, the humidity is up, the temperatures are down a little bit in some areas," he said.

"However, in other areas... [the fires] keep spotting ahead of each other, and there's a number of fires that are burning now, and requiring evacuation, and there are homes that continue to burn, mostly in the outlying areas of San Diego, out in the more rural areas."

There were also reports that power lines connecting San Diego to the national grid were under threat.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the "great co-ordination" and "immediate response" of federal, state and local government agencies to the fires.

He also thanked President Bush for signing the disaster declaration, which will free federal funds to help governments, families and individuals recover from the devastation wrought by the blazes.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (Fema), David Paulison, said the government had learnt lessons from the Hurricane Katrina disaster on the Gulf Coast two years ago.

Californian fires affect TV shows

Filming of TV shows including 24 has reportedly been hit by the wild fires sweeping across southern California.

Scenes featuring 24's lead star Kiefer Sutherland had to be halted at a military base near Irvine, Orange County, because of the smoke.

Other series were also hit, trade publication Hollywood Reporter said.

Fierce winds are fanning at least 16 fires that have razed land from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border, forcing 500,000 people out of their homes.

The blazes have left one person dead and destroyed at least 1,300 homes and businesses, officials say. They have led to the biggest US evacuation since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Producers of 24 had to cancel two days of filming at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro after cast and crew suffered blurry eyes and were having difficulty breathing.

Scenes were shot on the programme's dedicated stages instead.

"By 1 pm we're back here and had shot two other scenes," line producer Michael Klick told the Hollywood Reporter.

"When the dust settles, we probably lost five hours' worth of work, and we have to reschedule the two days we missed."

Strong winds

Other US TV series were also affected by the fires and bad weather. Police drama Cold Case, which airs on CBS, saw its sets in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, blown over by the strong winds.

ABC boardroom drama Big Shots had to scrap shooting in Malibu, while crime series NCIS - which uses stages so close to the fires that the smoke was visible from the set - carried on filming, but lost crew members who had to protect their homes.

The fires are putting homes at risk in seven counties where up to 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) have been scorched.

Actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta spoke earlier this week about their fears over the fires.

One of the areas affected is the coastal region around Los Angeles, which is home to many celebrities, including actors Mel Gibson, Barbra Streisand, Richard Gere, Pierce Brosnan, Dick Van Dyke and Ted Danson.

Singers Sting and Olivia Newton-John, director James Cameron and music mogul David Geffen also live locally.