Southland Inferno : 338 Homes Destroyed, 280 of Them in Santa Barbara : Thousands of Acres Blackened

The toll of burned homes rose to 338 this afternoon from four wildfires that blackened thousands of acres in Southern California. The worst of the fires, in Santa Barbara, continued to burn out of control after destroying 280 houses west of the city.

Three of the fires--the one in Santa Barbara plus others in Glendale and the Chino Hills--were believed started by arsonists. Gov. George Deukmejian offered a $50,000 reward for anyone believed responsible and declared Santa Barbara a disaster area, paving the way for aid to rebuild the stricken community.

The fourth fire, in rugged brushlands south of Chino, was the product of a controlled burn that burst out of control late Wednesday on winds generated by a waning heat wave.

In the Corona area in Riverside County the Bedford Canyon fire had blackened 2,200 acres as of this morning, after spreading out of control from a prescribed burn and gutting 12 structures abutting the Cleveland National Forest. That fire was considered 40% contained this morning and no longer an immediate threat to developed areas.

The Carbon Canyon fire in the Chino Hills scorched nearly 7,000 acres of tinder-dry wildlands in Orange and San Bernardino counties, destroying at least 10 residences in Sleepy Hollow and surrounding communities. That blaze was categorized as 85% contained this morning and burning in a direction that, likewise, no longer posed a threat to any buildings.

Fire officials said the cooler, less windy weather conditions today made them optimistic that both fires could be fully controlled soon. High winds and 100-degree temperatures Wednesday fueled both blazes out of control, leaping from canyon to canyon as firefighters watched helplessly.

In Sleepy Hollow, where the majority of hosues destroyed in the Carbon Canyon fire were located, most residents were still being kept out of the area while fire officials assessed damage and extinguished lingering “hot spots.”

No time of containment was predicted for the 3,500-acre Santa Barbara fire, which swept out of the Santa Ynez Mountains on bristling “sundowner” winds, blocking highway and Amtrak rail traffic as it invaded posh residential communities along the shoreline.

The fire, which officials said was set at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, leaped California’s principal coastal route, U.S. 101, and damaged a trestle on the Southern Pacific railroad mainline in its frenzied push toward the sea.

“It’s just total devastation,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Tim Grassey.

“You never felt more helpless,” Grassey said. “You look at it and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

Many of the houses that burned were multimillion-dollar structures in the exclusive Hope Ranch enclave, where residents attempting to stem the blaze with garden hoses were forced to flee for their lives as water pressure dwindled to nothing.

Firefighters said several elements were conspiring against them--gusting winds, high temperatures, low humidity, thick underbrush that had not burned since 1955 and a prolonged drought that has parched the brush and drained the reservoirs of a community already forced to ration water.

Despite the other blazes that limited the available fire-fighting resources, fire officials were able to deploy a ground force of 1,500 firefighters against the Santa Barbara fire by dawn today. Aerial tankers swooped overhead, dropping water on hot spots.

As the morning advanced, Bonnie Dickinson sat quietly on a blackened rock, staring at the charred remains of the home she and her husband had shared for 28 years.

“But we can count our blessings,” she managed through her tears. “You know, a house, we can rebuild it. It’s not the end of the world. . . . “

Margaret Lovig said she and her husband Larry had been fixing dinner Wednesday night when they looked up to see their back yard in flames.

“Somebody called and said, ‘You better get your things out,’ ” she recalled this morning as she poked through the ashes of her home. “We turned around, and in five minutes, it was right on top of us.”

Lovig said that when she heard the fire had been started by an arsonist, it made her mad.

“I’ve told Larry that I didn’t believe in capital punishment,” she said. “I guess, this morning, I do.”

Ilya Magid, who lost his home, said he and his wife immigrated here from Lithuania in 1980.

“Ten years ago, we start from nothing,” he said. “Now, again, we start from nothing.”

Jack Novak surveyed the charred landscape around what once had been his home.

“This place is going to be a disaster area for a long time,” he said. “It’s never going to be the same, man. It’s never going to be the same.” In Glendale, firefighters were mopping up after a fast-moving blaze that destroyed at least 40 homes and damaged 15 more before flames were brought under control about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Evening rush-hour traffic was brought to a halt at the height of the fire as flames burned on both sides of the Glendale Freeway.

Driven by winds gusting at up to 35 m.p.h., the flames leapfrogged from house to house, destroying some, leaving others untouched.

Arson investigators said a butane lighter, locked in the open position with a pen, apparently was used to start the fire.

It was the third time this week that a butane lighter had been used in this fashion to start a brush fire, according to Glendale fire department Battalion Chief Chris Grey.

“We suspect it’s the same person,” Grey said.

In the Chino Hills, six homes were destroyed in a blaze that spread rapidly over 4,600 acres of rolling chaparral near the San Bernardino County community of Sleepy Hollow.

Six firefighters received minor injuries battling the fire, which was half contained this morning. Fire officials said the blaze was spreading slowly and they expected to have it fully controlled by late this afternoon.

Peter Reyes, 29, was arrested on suspicion of setting the blaze.

Another 12 homes were destroyed in a fire that raced through 2,200 acres of rugged brushland south of Corona, near Interstate 15. About 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, which stemmed from a controlled burn that got out away from California Department of Forestry fire crews.

While it was still hot and dry, temperatures were easing this morning as the heat wave moved into its third day.

The National Weather Service reported a 10 a.m. reading of 84 degrees at the Los Angeles Civic Center, compared to 104 degrees at the same time Wednesday.

“There’s quite a drop,” spokeswoman Pat Rowe said, adding that the projected daytime high was now expected to reach only into the mid-90s.

Local utilities were also finding a lowered demand for electricity, and were projecting usage would be far less than the record use on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We’re running well below,” said Paul Klein, a spokesman for Southern California Edison Co.

By 11 a.m., he said, demand was at 14,300 megawatts, compared to just under 16,000 for the day before.

Two heat-related deaths were reported during the heat wave by officials at Midway Hospital in Los Angeles. Neither was identified, but both were said to be in their 50s. One died of heatstroke coupled with pneumonia, and the other of a heart attack related to heat.

Staff writers Doug Smith, Martha Willman and Lori Grange contributed to this report.

Photos of Santa Barbara disaster on Back Page.