Stars not spared as fires rage in California

LOS ANGELES: Wildfires on Sunday charred parts of the exclusive seaside town of Malibu and forced evacuations of million-dollar homes of many top Hollywood stars, while a man was killed fighting another southern California blaze, authorities said.   

Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles) fed the flames which devoured at least one church and several houses, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate in Malibu.   

One person was killed and four firefighters were seriously injured while trying to protect a home from a wildfire in Potrero, near the Mexican border, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of San Diego, the fire department said.   

More than 500 firefighters were battling to contain the blazes, as fast-moving flames devoured hundreds of acres of tree-lined hillsides and filled the area with thick smoke.   

Thousands of students at Pepperdine University were evacuated from their dormitories and moved into the cafeteria in the central section of the campus, which is believed to be well-protected from threatening fires.    

Nearby, the Malibu Presbyterian Church caught fire early Saturday and burned to the ground -- along with several private homes.    

The blaze destroyed much of the Malibu Castle, also known as Hodge Castle, a hilltop landmark built in 1978 and put up for sale in March for 17 million dollars.    

The famous Malibu Pier that appeared in the 1990s television series "Baywatch" was being sprayed by country patrol boats to protect it from the blowing embers.   

"I woke up around 5:30 this morning and had smelled smoke and I saw some lights on Malibu Canyon Road," Malibu resident David Masi told NBC4 television. "I kept smelling it and the smoke kept getting more and more pervasive."   

Southern California has been on "red alert" over the weekend due to the high winds, temperatures of near 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and persistent dry conditions.   

Malibu, around 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Los Angeles, is home to celebrities including Sting, Jennifer Aniston, Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Richard Gere, Martin Sheen and Whoopi Goldberg and Dreamworks studios co-founders David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.    

Homes of director James Cameron and Australian singer Olivia Newton-John were among those evacuated, celebrity site TMZ.com reported.   

"The residents understand the danger," fire inspector Ron Haralson told Channel 2 television. "They understand the importance of getting a head start or a jump on fires such as this that move very quickly and are erratic, so the residents there have been cooperating."