Los Angeles, Nov 01: Southern California's
devastating wave of wildfires have slowed their advance after
devouring more than 3,000 square kilometres of the state,
officials said.
The blazes have ravaged 300,027 hectares zone of the
most populous US state, burning down 3,697 buildings in the
stricken areas, including 2,863 homes, said Bob Martinez of
the Firefighters' Southern Operations Information Centre that
is coordinating fire data.
The death toll from the total of 17 blazes remained at
22 people yesterday, including 20 in California and two in
Mexico after the flames jumped the border near the Southern
city of San Diego.
Some 16 people, including a firefighter, were killed
near San Diego, where a total of nearly 160,000 hectares have
been scorched by at least three major blazes, and four people
died of heart attacks as fires descended on them.
At least 163 people were reported injured by the
blazes, while the cost of the disaster had been put by senior
state officials at around two billion dollars so far.
Bureau Report
