Wildfires force evacuation of 300,000 in S. California: report

Wildfires continuing to scorch a wide area of southern California forced the evacuation of 300,000 people, county officials said, according to CNN.

President George W. Bush issued an emergency declaration Tuesday for seven California counties, clearing the way for federal disaster relief. The wildfires have become one of the largest in recent years.

By Tuesday morning, at least one person died and dozens of others were injured. Among the evacuees were four Japanese, the Japanese Consulate General in Los Angeles said.

The wildfires are fanned by fierce dessert winds called Santa Ana. The Associated Press said it has burnt at least 980 square kilometers, an area that equals about 45 percent of Tokyo.

Local meteorological authorities forecast that the condition of low humidity, high temperature and strong winds will continue for the next two to three days.

Firefighters continued to fight the blaze in San Diego County around the clock. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday asked the Pentagon to dispatch firefighting aircraft and deployed 1,500 National Guard troops for firefighting efforts. He also ordered the mobilization of more than 2,300 prisoners.

The wildfires raging at 14 locations in seven counties are believed to have started on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The Los Angeles Times said in its online edition that four cases may be attributed to electric cable problems and one to arson.

There are about 7,000 Japanese nationals living in San Diego, with about 270 in the evacuation zone, according to the consulate. It said the four evacuated Japanese were staffers of a local Japanese school.