Smoke from a wildfire driven by Santa Ana winds drifts over downtown Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2006. A wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds spread over 800 acres of the Cleveland National Forest near Orange County, Calif., suburbs on Monday, and voluntary evacuation of several hundred homes was requested, authorities said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A wildfire burns in the Cleveland National Forest Monday, Feb. 6, 2006, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

Wildfires burn in the Cleveland National Forest on Monday evening, Feb. 6, 2006, in Anaheim, Calif. A wildfire driven by Santa Ana winds ate through 1,200 acres of wilderness Monday near Orange County suburbs, forcing evacuation of 1,500 homes. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

An Orange County firefighter sets backfires to rob a wildfire of fuel Monday, Feb. 6, 2006, in Anaheim, Calif. A wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds ate through 1,200 acres of wilderness near the outskirts of Orange County suburbs Monday, forcing evacuation of 1,500 homes. The homes, in Anaheim and the city of Orange bordering Cleveland National Forest, were protected by fire crews and there were no reports of damage by midafternoon, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Dennis Shell. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

An Orange County firefighter sets backfires to rob a wildfire of fuel Monday, Feb. 6, 2006, in Anaheim, Calif. A wildfire fanned by Santa Ana winds ate through 1,200 acres of wilderness near the outskirts of Orange County suburbs Monday, forcing evacuation of 1,500 homes. The homes, in Anaheim and the city of Orange bordering Cleveland National Forest, were protected by fire crews and there were no reports of damage by midafternoon, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Dennis Shell. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)

A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop onto a 25-acre fire in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, Calif., Wednesday Feb. 8, 2006. Wildfires in Southern California, in Malibu and Anaheim, have burned more than 7,200 acres. (AP Photo Nick Ut)

The late-afternoon sun is barely visible through a cloud of smoke over homes in the Anaheim Hills area of Orange County, Calif., Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 7, 2006. Residents ordered to evacuate more than 2,000 homes near a 3,500-acre wildfire were told they could return to their neighborhoods late Tuesday as an army of firefighters and a fleet of aircraft worked to keep the blaze corralled in rugged land. The fire sent up dark plumes of smoke from the Santa Ana Mountains for a second day, but the threat to homes eased. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

A helicopter dumps water on a wildfire at the Cleveland National Forest near Silverado, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2006. A 6,520-acre wildfire that triggered evacuations of more than 2,000 homes in northeastern Orange County apparently was ignited by remnants of a controlled burn in Cleveland National Forest that escaped, a U.S. Forest Service official said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Wind Spreads Wildfire in SoCal Forest

By GILLIAN FLACCUS

ANAHEIM, Calif. - A Southern California wildfire driven by Santa Ana winds ate through 1,200 acres of wilderness Monday near Orange County suburbs, forcing evacuation of 1,500 homes.

The dwellings, in Anaheim and the city of Orange bordering Cleveland National Forest, were protected by fire crews and there were no reports of damage by midafternoon, said Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Dennis Shell.

Pungent smoke stained the skies brown for miles across the Los Angeles metropolitan region.

"The ash was coming down like snow, I had all the windows and door shut because it was just overwhelming," said Kathie Scott, who was told by a firefighter to evacuate her Mayberry Ranch home. She got out with two dogs but had to leave behind a cat and two guinea pigs.

Red flag warnings for critical fire danger were posted for much of the region, from Santa Barbara County south to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Flames burned on rugged land east of the Orange County homes and State Route 241, which firefighters hoped would act as a firebreak. Spot fires occurred beyond the tollway, but were kept small.

"We don't want it to get across there. If it does it's within a half a mile of homes," said Stephen Miller, another county fire spokesman.

Hundreds of firefighters were brought in, along with aircraft to make retardant and water drops. Gusts of dry wind hit 60 mph in the morning, with sustained winds of about 30 mph, but they moderated in the afternoon, Miller said.

The cause of the fire had not been determined.

The Santa Ana winds, which reduce humidity and dry out vegetation, have often played a role in disastrous wildfires. In 2003, wind-driven wildfires destroyed more than 3,600 homes and killed 22 people in Southern California.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)