Fears for 1,000 homes as strong winds fuel firestorm

POWERFUL Santa Ana winds kicked up before dawn yesterday, driving a ferocious firestorm that had already burned at least 200 homes onto a path toward more neighbourhoods.

The fire, blamed for the stress-related deaths of two residents, was threatening at least 1,000 homes yesterday.

It forced the evacuation of a university campus, Indian casino and state mental hospital, and firefighters couldn’t say when it might be contained.