A brush fire fanned by fierce Santa Ana winds raced through a neighborhood of expensive homes early today, burning at least 20 homes and forcing evacuations of up to 5,000 people. It was the second day wind reached speeds above 60 mph. On Thursday, fires destroyed at least 22 homes and cut power to half a million people. Today's brush fire was in the Porter Ranch district, 25 miles northwest of downtown, where many homes have flammable wooden shake shingle roofs, authorities said. Ten homes were destroyed and 10 were damaged as the fire spread through canyons in the Santa Susana Mountains and into foothill neighborhoods, said Fire Department spokesman Gary Svider. No injuries were reported. ``One of the major problems up here is that we have a lot of wood shingle roofs and they go up like matchsticks,'' said Battalion Chief Dean Cathey. Cause of the blaze, which blackened at least 1,800 acres, was not immediately known. Wind gusted to 60 mph, and the National Weather Service said the relative humidity was 15 percent, compared to a normal 60 percent in the early morning. Police began evacuating a residential area of four to six square miles after the fire broke out about 5:45 a.m., said police Sgt. Doug Boka. He said thousands of people would be forced from their homes near the northern foothills of the San Fernando Valley. Porter Ranch residents were awakened by choking smoke and an orange glow in the sky. ``It was just like raining fire,'' said Tim Dinsmore, 16, who helped his father wet down the family's home before they had to flee several blocks away. ``As I was spraying water the neighbors' houses started to burn; that's when I got scared.'' The Dinsmores' home survived the onslaught. ``Thousands of embers were coming down on us as we left,'' said Hank Piorek, who fled the neighborhood with his family of four. At least three schools in the area were closed and some sections of boulevard and freeway access ramps were closed because of smoke. The hot, dry ``devil winds'' from the desert gusted to 69 mph Thursday, causing damage estimated at $10 million but no serious injuries, although some residents had to dash through flames to safety, officials said. ``We saw sparks, showers of sparks, like rain,'' said Ruben Cabadas, 18, recounting his family's flight from their Baldwin Park home on Thursday. Hardest hit were the Los Angeles suburbs of Baldwin Park and La Verne, where fires blamed on wind-downed power lines destroyed at least 22 homes and damaged 12 others and five businesses. The winds toppled at least a dozen tractor-trailers and a motor home on freeways obscured by blowing dirt and sand. About 500,000 people were without power at various times. By nightfall Thursday, 30,800 remained in the dark in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, utility officials said. Electricity was out in the La Canada-Flintridge School District, where schools were closed today. The Santa Ana winds blow through the deserts on their way to Southern California at this time of year, picking up both speed and warmth and increasing the fire danger in areas left dry by lack of rain. The forecast held little relief. The high-pressure system causing the turbulence, in combination with a low-pressure system off Baja California, appeared to be stuck over southern Idaho, the National Weather Service said. ``I can see these winds continuing, although not as strong as today, into the early part of next week,'' weather service meteorologist Mark McKinley said Thursday. Fourteen homes were destroyed in Baldwin Park 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles and five were damaged along with five commercial buildings when 75 mph gusts snapped power lines, igniting a fire at Allan Paper Co., fire officials said. Damage was estimated at $4.5 million. In La Verne and neighboring unincorporated parts of Claremont, eight homes were devastated and seven damaged in wind-driven fires. Damage was estimated at $5 million. ``We lost everything _ the house, the cars,'' said Dan Hanlon, 49, of La Verne, who fled with his wife. ``We were lucky to get out. We had to drive through flames.'' An artificial Christmas tree wrapped in colored lights and tinsel lay on the driveway of Roy and Elinor Livingston's home, the only thing salvaged from the ruins. Awakened by a neighbor, the couple found a row of palm trees and a nearby home ablaze, and battled fires on their roof until they were overwhelmed. ``It was just like the air was full of these giant sparks,'' said Mrs. Livingston, 56. In the San Fernando Valley community of Chatsworth, six men were arrested for investigation of arson as firefighters doused a five-acre brushfire, a ridge into Glendale, Wells said. The powerful winds caused turbulence that jolted a Piedmont Airlines jet approaching Los Angeles International Airport, slightly injuring two flight attendants and four passengers. Damage was estimated at $40,000 to five floats being built for Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade. The floats' chicken-wire skeletons were crushed when a giant tent housing them in Azusa collapsed. They were expected to be rebuilt by the Jan. 2 event. In La Jolla to the south, a wind-fanned brush fire burned about 60 acres in a steep coastal canyon and threatened the Scripps Clinic hospital and other businesses before about 100 area firefighters contained it, said San Diego fire spokesman Larry Stewart. The California Highway Patrol warned Southern California motorists to exercise caution _ particularly those with campers, trailers and other high-profile vehicles vulnerable to wind.
