"Fire crews were battling to save hundreds of homes that were threatened by two wildfires burning in dry, explosive brush near La Cañada Flintridge and on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

In Palos Verdes, 2,000 to 3,000 people had been evacuated, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The two wildfires were the most active of four blazes raging in Los Angeles and Riverside counties."

The Los Angeles Times had the story August 28, 2009. [2]