Residents evacuated in fast California desert fire

LOS ANGELES - More than 200 residents were ordered to leave their homes on Thursday as a fast-moving brush fire threatened two small communities in the desert near Palm Springs, fire officials said.

Whipped by warm gusting winds, the Esperanza fire started shortly after midnight and six hours later had spread to 324 hectares, Riverside County Fire information officials said.

The fire was raging about 145km east of Los Angeles and 27km northwest of Palm Springs.

At least one home burned to the ground and at least one man was taken to hospital with burns as he escaped the blaze, according to eyewitnesses. Television pictures showed flames licking a remote hilltop house.

One local man said he watched his home burn to the ground. "There was a fire truck in my drive and I couldn't get out. The fire was out when I got out. My neighbour's house, everything around me (burned). My son got burned driving out. They have taken him to hospital," the man, called Victor, told local Fox11 TV channel.

Fire officials could not confirm the early reports of damage or injuries, nor a second media report from the scene that said a fire truck with some 20 firefighters was missing in the fire area.

"We are trying to get information on that from the scene," said Cynthia Murcio of the Riverside County Fire Department.

Murcio said mandatory evacuations were ordered for the communities of Twin Pines and Poppet Ranch and two evacuation centres were set up in nearby towns.

- REUTERS