Owners of ranch in path of Creek blaze find charred remains of 29 horses, as authorities warn fires could rage for another fortnight

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Wildfires that continue to leave a trail of destruction in southern California could last for another fortnight, authorities have warned, as the corpses of dozens of horses were discovered.

The owners of a ranch in Sylmar, in the San Fernando valley region of Los Angeles, said they had counted the charred remains of 29 horses that had perished in the Creek fire.

Why are ferocious wildfires plaguing southern California? Read more

Another blaze, which broke out north of San Diego on Thursday, tore through a training centre for hundreds of elite thoroughbred racehorses in San Diego, forcing them to run for their lives. However, it is feared many did not make it.

Firefighters in Ventura county are struggling to contain the most destructive blaze in California, the Thomas fire, which has grown to 180 sq miles (466 sq km) and destroyed 430 buildings since it broke out on Monday.

Play Video 1:52 Why are California’s wildfires so out of control? – video explainer

Fire officials said they could be battling it for another two weeks because of the speed at which the wind is causing it to spread.

Along the coast between Ventura and Santa Barbara, tiny beach communities were under siege as fires leapt from steep hillsides across US highway 101.

The massive blaze threatened Ojai, a scenic mountain town of 7,000 people nicknamed Shangri-La and known for its boutique hotels and spiritual retreats.

In Sylmar, Patricia Padilla, whose family own a ranch and live up the hill from it, said they were awakened by flames from the Creek fire and told to leave.

“All I could think about was the horses, the horses, the horses. And they were like: ‘Get out, get out, get out,’” she told the LA Times. “The structures can get rebuilt, but the lives of the horses can’t … That’s my biggest heartbreak.”

The fire north of San Diego began next to state highway 76 with strong winds carrying it across six lanes to the other side. It exceeded 6 sq miles within hours and burned dozens of houses as it tore through the tightly packed Rancho Monserate country.

Rows of trailer homes in a retirement community were among the buildings engulfed by flames, leaving charred and mangled metal. Three people were burned while escaping the fire, said Capt Nick Schuler of the California department of forestry and fire protection.

As the flames approached the elite San Luis Rey Downs training facility for thoroughbreds, many of the more than 450 horses were cut loose to prevent them from being trapped in their stables if barns caught fire, said Mac McBride of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.



Herds of horses galloped past flaming palm trees in their chaotic escape. A horse trainer, Scott Hansen, said some of his 30 horses at the facility had died.

“I don’t know how many are living and how many are dead,” he said. “I guess I’ll have to figure that out in the morning.”

Play Video 0:47 Commuter drives through raging wildfire in California – dashcam video

It was not yet clear how many horses had died but all of Friday’s races at Los Alamitos racecourse were cancelled as the racing community mourned.

Schools and casinos were being used as shelters. Cynthia Olvera, 20, took refuge at Fallbrook high school but was moved to another shelter as the flames approached the building.

She said she had been at her Bonsall home with her younger sister and nephew when her father called from the family nursery to say the fire had reached the gate of their sprawling property.

After starting to drive away, the family turned around to recover forgotten personal documents but it was too late. Trees were ablaze and flames were within 10ft (3 metres) of the house. “I didn’t think it would move that fast,” she said.

