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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Firefighters will need at least until midweek to get control of wildfires that have destroyed more than 700 homes in Southern California, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman says.

High winds have fanned blazes from Santa Barbara to Anaheim since Thursday, scorching an estimated 35,000 acres of land. Sustained winds were expected to ease Monday, but locally gusty conditions and humidity in the single-digit range could continue into Tuesday, the National Weather Service predicted.

"If we were being very optimistic, we would be looking at the middle of the week," L.A. County Capt. Dennis Cross said. "If the weather forecast holds and we continue to get the great work being done in the last 24 hours, we're hoping midweek."

The most extensive losses have been in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in the Sylmar district of Los Angeles, where winds clocked as high as 70 mph drove a wall of flames across the hillsides and destroyed nearly 500 homes. Authorities combed through the scorched wreckage Sunday in an effort to account for the park's residents, only 134 of whom had been accounted for earlier in the day.

No bodies were found during the search, and police believe most of those living in the 608 mobile homes fled the fire, Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore said. But he urged those who escaped to call in and let investigators know they survived.

"If you are a resident of this park, we want to talk to you," he said. "We want to know you are safe and know where you're at."

Crews were still struggling to contain the blazes Sunday afternoon.

"It is a wind-driven fire, and with those gusty winds up to 25 miles an hour, it's giving the firefighters a really difficult time. It's hopscotched throughout the county," said Lynette Round, a spokeswoman for Orange County Fire Authority, said. iReport.com: 'Insurmountable' wall of flames looms

The largest of three fires, the Freeway Complex fire, had set ablaze nearly 24,000 acres in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Most of the damage was in Orange County, in the Los Angeles suburbs of Anaheim and Yorba Linda, where more than 100 homes were destroyed.

As of Sunday evening, fire officials said the blaze was about 19 percent contained.

The Sayre fire, which destroyed the mobile home park, was about 40 percent contained Sunday evening after burning about 10,000 acres. Five firefighters and one civilian suffered minor injuries in the blaze, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.

And in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, firefighters said they had the Tea fire 80 percent contained after it destroyed more than 100 homes. Among the losses in the 1,900-plus acres it incinerated were a monastery and several mansions in a community where celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, have homes.

Investigators have deemed the blaze suspicious, having eliminated "all accidental causes," said Doug Lannon, a spokesman for the state fire agency. iReport.com: Share wildfire photos, video

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared states of emergency for the four affected counties after the fire damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and closed major freeways. The move frees up any state resources needed, and makes the counties eligible for federal assistance grants.

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JAKARTA: At least three people were killed and about 30 seriously injured after a powerful earthquake struck near the island of Sulawesi in central Indonesia early Monday.

The epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude quake was located underwater, several kilometers off the coast, prompting the Indonesian authorities to issue a tsunami warning. It was lifted several hours later.

The tsunami alert was the first since the Indonesian authorities officially started its long-awaited early warning system last week.

The authorities said that thousands of houses were damaged and that at least one school had collapsed in rural towns in central Sulawesi. Several aftershocks followed, sending villagers fleeing into the streets, fearing a possible tsunami. At least one hospital was evacuated.

More than 12 hours after the initial shock, residents remained outdoors on high ground, according to the Indonesian state news agency.

The 17,000 Indonesian islands, which straddle the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area where the merging of three tectonic plates merge causes continuous seismic activity, is regularly struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami off the coast of Aceh, the northernmost Indonesian province, that killed more than 130,000 people.

Since then, the Indonesian government has improved its ability to respond to disasters, revamping its disaster management agency, mobilizing its military and installing the tsunami early-warning system.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that the system was "crucial" in preventing the kind of devastation seen in Aceh in 2004.

A string of buoys set around the country are connected to sensors below the water's surface that quickly detect the kind of undersea earthquakes that cause tsunamis. Scientists said the system can also predict how high the waves will be and when they will arrive on land.

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Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan told his congregation Sunday he saw a "oneness of spirit" among the multitudes who rallied and celebrated Barack Obama's presidential victory at Grant Park and around the nation -- a victory, he contends, God directed.

But he stressed Obama's supporters have the responsibility to stay engaged and help his presidency be a successful one, particularly given the dire state of the nation's and global economies, continuing foreign policy challenges and a high national debt that he said has put the future of America's children at risk.

While labeling Obama's upcoming responsibility of leading the nation a "horrible burden," Farrakhan said Obama has the vision to be successful, with God's help, and a "tremendous capacity to handle what God has put on his shoulders."

The controversial leader stayed quiet during the presidential campaign after voicing his support for Obama at a Chicago Saviors' Day event in February. Farrakhan said he didn't want any of his comments to hurt Obama's campaign.

But in a sermon at the packed Mosque Maryam on the South Side on Sunday, Farrakhan spoke of the joy he saw after Obama's win, reflected in the tears of Oprah Winfrey, which he said matched the tears of the young and old, black, brown and white, and also included the gang-banger.

Obama's campaign "unleashed a spirit that brought more hope" to the world among its diverse people, a hope that he'd never before witnessed in life, Farrakhan said.

But Farrakhan cautioned that America still remains polarized. While commending Sen. John McCain's concession speech, he said it was insufficient to relieve the strain of loss by some of McCain's supporters, many of whom reside below the Mason-Dixon line, "where racial attitudes and traditions die hard." He called on pollsters to examine how deep the divide is and said pastors, teachers and others should work to change those attitudes.

He also warned Congress and others not to "hamstring" Obama as he works to bring about positive change to the country and the world.

On the foreign-policy front, he said Obama should not be goaded into war with Iran because of unsubstantiated nuclear weapon fears.

"It would be suicide for Iran to entertain the thought of using any nuclear weapons against Israel or any other country," he said.

But if Iran truly is only seeking to use nuclear power as an alternative to oil, America should be able to verify that assertion, he noted.

He said the morning after he saw the Rev. Jesse Jackson crying on television following Obama's win, he called the civil rights veteran to thank him for helping lay the foundation for the victory. And Farrakhan thanked other civil rights leaders Sunday as he also noted the Nation of Islam and organizations like the Urban League and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People still have important roles to play to combat injustice.

Looking ahead, Farrakhan referenced Obama's plans to create millions of new green jobs to help wean America from its dependence on foreign oil. That presents opportunity, Farrakhan said.

"We have to double our effort to get our people ready for whatever opportunity can be provided . . . and not look for special favors," he said.

jogihi

Monday, November 17, 2008

California fires could burn for days, official says

Quake kills at least 3 in Indonesia

Monday, November 10, 2008

Work not over: Farrakhan

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