California firefighters battle fast-spreading blaze near Los Angeles

A wildfire that destroyed 18 homes has surged backto unpredictable life, darkening the skies north of Los Angeles withblack smoke and driving thousands from their homes.

Some evacuees were about to return to their homes Sunday, twodays after the fire broke out, when unexpected winds stirred up theblaze.

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"All the experience we've had with fires is out the window,"said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp, one of manywho noted the fires special volatility on Sunday.

The blaze destroyed at least 18 homes, but those numbers could well take aleap Monday when better assessment is done at daylight.

Winds wereexpected to dip and temperatures break overnight before a heatingtrend toward triple-digits comes later Monday.

One person has beenfound dead in the fire zone. His death was under investigation.

Evacuees hope for the best

Juliet Kinikin said Sunday there was panic as the sky became darkwith smoke and flames moved closer to her home a day earlier in theSand Canyon area of Los Angeles County.

"And then we just focused on what really mattered in thehouse," she told the Associated Press.

Kinikin grabbed important documents and fled with her husband,two children, two dogs and three birds. They were back at homeSunday,"breathing a big sigh of relief," she said.

Lois Wash, 87, said she and her daughter and her dog evacuated,but her husband refused.

"My husband's stubborn as a mule, and he wouldn't leave," Washtold KABC-TV. "I don't know if he got out of there or not. There'sno way of knowing ...I don't know if our house is still standing or not.All we can do is pray."

About 480 kilometresup the coast, crews were battling another fire that destroyed six homes onSunday and forced evacuations outside the scenic Big Sur region. Thefire was threatening about 1,650 mountain homes.

Brock Bradford lives in a historic house in Palo Colorado, one ofthe evacuated areas, and could see the flames coming down the roadas he evacuated.

"I hope I don't have to rebuild my house," he told the MontereyHerald. "I'm 66."

Film sets destroyed

In Southern California, planes had to be grounded for a longstretch of the afternoon because of the thick smoke, but resumeddrops on the blaze for a few hours before dusk.

Helicopters released retardant around the perimeter of the fireall day and would continue into the night.

The fire destroyed film sets at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita,which has Old West-style buildings used for movie locations.

It alsoforced a non-profit sanctuary for rescued exotic creatures toevacuate 340 of its more than 400 animals, including Bengal tigersand a mountain lion.