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Wildfires force California exodus

More than 500,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes to escape wildfires in California in the biggest US evacuation since Hurricane Katrina.

Fierce winds are fanning fast-moving fires that have ravaged land from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border.

The fires have left three dead, burned down 1,300 homes and businesses, and are threatening 68,000 more properties.

President George W Bush will visit the state on Thursday, after declaring a state of emergency in seven counties.

A White House spokeswoman said Mr Bush, whose administration was accused of a sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast two years ago, wanted to "witness first-hand" the crisis.

Up to 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of land have been scorched - an area bigger than New York City.

Forestry officials say the seasonal Santa Ana winds are hampering their efforts to contain 19 fires raging across the state, and high wind warnings will remain in effect for most of the region until Wednesday afternoon.

At least 38 people have been injured in addition to the three confirmed deaths, a spokesman for California's Office of Emergency Services (OES) told the BBC.

He said so far about 321,000 people had obeyed orders to evacuate state-wide.

In San Diego County, which has been hardest hit, firefighters have been working in difficult conditions.

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