Calif. wildfire heads north, threatens thousands

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfire threatened 12,000 suburban homes and rained ash on cars as far away as downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, spreading in all directions in hot, dry conditions. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged those in the fire’s path to listen to authorities and get out.

Firefighters trained their attention on the blaze’s fast-moving northern front as more evacuations were ordered in the Los Angeles suburbs.

While thousands have fled, two people who tried to ride out the firestorm in a backyard hot tub were critically burned. The pair in Big Tujunga Canyon, on the southwestern edge of the fire, “completely underestimated the fire” and the hot tub provided “no protection whatsoever,” Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said Sunday.

Another three people were injured in the fire Saturday in areas with evacuations in effect.