Thousands of people evacuated in San Diego as brush blazes and high winds form a string of FIRENADOES

The terrifying pillar of fire - which is being dubbed a 'firenado' - was caught on camera in the city of Carlsbad

At least two structures burned to the ground and some 15,000 homes and businesses were told to evacuate



That Carlsbad blaze was one of several wildfires that firefighters in San Diego County were battling yesterday



The wildfires are caused by hot, dry and windy conditions across the lower part of the state of California




An aggressive wildfire generated a frightening tornado of flames as it tore through parts of Southern California yesterday, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

The terrifying pillar of fire - dubbed a 'firenado' - was caught on camera as the blaze destroyed several houses in the city of Carlsbad.



The inferno came in the midst of a heat wave that is gripping Southern California, sparking blazes in several spots in the region.

At least two structures burned to the ground and some 15,000 homes and businesses were told to evacuate as a wind-lashed wildfire roared out of control in the heart of a Southern California coastal community.



The blaze, which erupted shortly before 11 a.m. in Carlsbad, some 25 miles north of San Diego, quickly became the most pressing battle for crews fighting flames across the region amid soaring temperatures and hot Santa Ana winds.

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An aggressive wildfire generated a frightening tornado of flames as it tore through parts of Southern California Wednesday, forcing thousands to flee their homes

Battle: Firefighters set up equipment near San Marcus in California as they prepare to battle the blaze on the horizon. More than 20 structures, including several homes, have already burned to the ground, and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate the area yesterday

Inferno: A house in Carlsbad, California is consumed by the wildfire yesterday. About 500 acres have burned in the blaze, which has been fueled by record heat, high winds and dry conditions

Fight: An aircraft drops fire retardant on a fire in San Marcos, Californa yesterday afternoon. The inferno came in the midst of a heat wave that is gripping Southern California, sparking blazes in several spots in the region



Firefighters battle the so-called Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad. At least two structures burned to the ground and some 15,000 homes and businesses were told to evacuate on Wednesday

Preparing for battle: Firefighters make plans for the best way to tackle a growing blaze in San Marcos, California yesterday evening

Scott Dennis sprays water around his home to limit the spread of flames as firefighters continue to battle a wildfire near San Marcos in California yesterday

Break out: A firefighter is seen putting out a small spot fire which was moving towards a house in southern California yesterday

Looming: Residents watch a fast-moving wildfire approach in San Marcos, California yesterday evening. More than 20 structures, including several homes, burned to the ground and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate

Worrying: Flames flare up behind houses on Mimosa Drive in Carlsbad, California yesterday

A firefighter removes debris from a burnt out home following a wildfire in Carlsbad, California yesterday. The property had had already been evacuated when the fire hit

'The safety and security of the community is our top priority, and all available resources are being deployed,' the city of Carlsbad said in a statement on its website that confirmed the destruction of at least two structures.

The city did not say that those structures were homes, but local TV images showed houses in the Carlsbad area consumed by flames as thick black smoke filled the sky and drifted over the Pacific Ocean.

The fires flared as California entered the height of wildfire season in the midst of one of the state's worst droughts on record, setting the stage for what fire officials fear could be a particularly intense and dangerous year.

Some 15,000 homes and businesses in and around Carlsbad received the directive to evacuate ahead of the flames, according to the city, and emergency shelters were set up at area schools and community centers.

The Legoland amusement park was also evacuated, spokeswoman Julie Estrada said, mostly because of power outages in the area. San Diego Gas and Electric reported that an estimated 2,000 residents in and around Carlsbad were without electricity.

'It's right in the middle of the city,' California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant said of the so-called Poinsettia Fire, which had blackened more than 100 acres by mid-afternoon.

He said Cal Fire was assisting the Carlsbad Fire Department in fighting the flames and had deployed water-dropping aircraft over the community.

Firefighters arrive to battle the frightening blaze. State fire officials say triple digit temperatures and dry conditions from the drought were making for an unusually busy firefighting season

A helicopter drops a fire retardant on a wild fire Wednesday. Wind-driven flames are threatening homes in the coastal city

Inmates from Oak Glen Fire Camp in Riverside retreat to higher ground as the flames start to move close while they work to control the fire near Oriole Court in Carlsbad

A helicopter flies over burning vegetation as it nears homes in Southern California

Students and teachers from Aviara Oaks Elementary and Aviara Oaks Middle School are evacuated to the Sunrise at La Costa Senior Living Center in Carlsbad

A fireman drags a hose as smoke rises from a nearby wildfire in Carlsbad, where officials said mandatory evacuations were in progress Wednesday, and more than 11,000 notices were sent to homes and businesses

Flames engulfed suburban homes and shot up along canyon ridges in one of the worst of several blazes that broke out Wednesday

California Fire Capt. Mark Miller lights a backfire as he and a crew from Oak Glen Fire Camp in Riverside try to knock down a brush fire near Oriole Court in Carlsbad

Relief: A plane drops fire retardant over a hot spot near San Marcos in California yesterday

Earlier yesterday, authorities reported 25 per cent containment of a 2.42-square-mile fire that broke out on Tuesday and forced thousands of people to flee the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego. In Santa Barbara County, a 600-acre blaze near the city of Lompoc was 50 percent contained.

Marine Corps officials said military fire crews were continuing to fight a blaze that started at about 9:45 a.m. at the Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook, north of San Diego, and had spread to more than 100 acres.

Residents in military housing have been ordered to evacuate. Students at Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School, located on base, were also ordered to go home.

Flames from a burning big rig on Interstate 5 on the northern Camp Pendleton coast have spread to about 3 acres of brush. The California Highway Patrol says at least one lane in each direction remains open, but traffic is backing up. It's unclear why the truck caught fire.

Further south, blazes threatened homes in Carlsbad, and prompted the evacuation of Carrillo Elementary School in the neighboring community of San Marcos.

Evacuation orders were lifted for all of the more than 20,000 residents in and around San Diego on Tuesday night just a few hours after they were called, and all but a handful of those in 1,200 homes and businesses told to evacuate in Santa Barbara County had been allowed to return.

The 2.47-square mile blaze was 25 percent contained. It was hoped that number would increase to 50 percent by day's end, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson said.

The Santa Barbara County blaze, 250 miles to the northwest, was 50 percent contained Wednesday morning. Firefighters also adjusted its size downward to 600 acres.



A helicopter drops water on a burning canyon next to homes as firefighters battle the Bernardo Fire, north of San Diego, California

A firefighter pours water onto a fully engulfed home in Carlsbad where a brush fire Wednesday forced evacuation of thousands of people

More wildfires broke out Wednesday in San Diego County threatening homes in Carlsbad and forcing the evacuations of military housing and an elementary school at Camp Pendleton as Southern California is in the grip of a heat wave

Firefighters pour water on a condominium complex that was caught in the path of the blaze

Residents on Docena Road in Carlsbad walk with burning brush behind them after the blaze erupted at about 10:34 a.m. Wednesday and spread through rapidly heavy brush before jumping into residential areas

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries - one heat-related and one from smoke inhalation, Calfire Battalion Chief Ray Cheney said. Neither blaze caused any home damage, but another hot, dry and gusty day was expected as California baked in a spring heat wave as high pressure sat over the West.

In the mountains of southwestern New Mexico, crews battling a 9-square mile wildfire are preparing for high winds this week. And in the Texas Panhandle, about 2,100 residents have started returning to their homes after wildfire burned at least 156 structures. The fire in the Fritch area was 85 percent contained Wednesday.

In San Diego County, record-high temperatures were forecast as were winds of 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, which could complicate efforts.

'It's starting to pick up already,' Swanson said of the winds. 'But our objective is to get to 50 percent containment or more by this evening.'



Poway Unified School District reopened schools Wednesday a day after flames erupted in the fire-prone Rancho Bernardo area of the city, driven by hot, dry Santa Ana winds and forced students to be evacuated from schools.

Firefighters battle inferno after at least two structures burned to the ground and some 15,000 homes and businesses were told to evacuate

The so-called Poinsettia Fire erupted shortly before 11 a.m. in the seaside California community of Carlsbad, some 25 miles north of San Diego, quickly became a top priority for crews battling flames across the region

A devastating wildfire approaches buildings Wednesday as it tears through Carlsbad, California

Firefighters battle the Ranch Fire near San Diego where several hundred acres were blackened and local schools were evacuated because of the wind-stoked flames

The flames edged up to a Aviara Oaks Middle School Wednesday, however children had been evacuated

A Carlsbad police officer turns traffic away as flames leap behind him

By late afternoon, the flames ripped through canyons to approach expensive homes and new subdivisions on the ridges. It spread to Rancho Santa Fe, one of the nation's wealthiest communities, known for its multimillion-dollar homes, golfing and horseback riding.

"There's a lot of work to be done today still," Rancho Santa Fe Fire Chief Tony Michel told reporters Wednesday morning. "There are a lot of hotspots throughout the whole area of the fire. Crews will be working diligently to put those fires out. The winds are going to be a problem."

After the fire ignited, the city of San Diego issued between 16,000 and 17,000 evacuation orders, according to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore. The Sheriff's Department issued an additional 5,000 evacuation orders outside city limits, Gore said. All the evacuations were called off by around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in the Santa Barbara County community of Lompoc, heavy brush and downed power lines provided special challenges for firefighters, said David Sadecki of the county Fire Department.

Some 689 firefighters remained on scene overnight building lines around the blaze.

'We hope the containment lines hold today,' Sadecki said.

Firefighters make hike through burned vegetation after flames engulfed the area

A hillside in San Marcos, California turned to ash in the fire. During a second day of a sweltering heat wave, taxing fire crews who fear the scattered fires mark only the beginning of a long wildfire season

Firefighters remove a garage door of a home destroyed in the fire

Residents look at the smoke generated by a wildfire on Wednesday in San Marcos

Smoke fills the air as flames engulfed suburban homes and shot up along canyon ridges in one of the worst of several blazes that broke out Wednesday in Southern California



