Several wildfires were raging across California on Thursday, forcing thousands of residents to flee, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDFFP) said.

In the Santa Cruz Mountains, more than 2400 people evacuated their homes after a large wildfire went out of control, scorching about 2,800 acres (7 squre kilometers) of land, the department said.

A blaze known as the Lockheed Fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of the coastal city Santa Cruz and was threatening more than 1,000 homes and other buildings. Hundreds of firefighters were battling the fire, but were unable to contain the fire by late Thursday.

Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday for the entire community of Bonny Doon, which has about 2,000 residents and several wineries.

"It's a significant fire that is burning in a rural, inaccessible, steep terrain with vegetation that has been stressed by the drought," CDFFP spokeswoman Julie Hutchinson said. "It's like firewood in your fireplace that's dry and ready to burn."

The area's rugged terrain and limited access were making it difficult for the 676 firefighters on the scene battling the blaze.

Further down the coast, a wildfire in northern Santa Barbara County had grown to 75 square miles, threatening more than 170 homes. About 1,800 firefighters were battling the fire and managed to contain 10 percent of it by Thursday morning.

In far northern California, two separate wildfires forced the evacuation of more than 30 homes. Several other smaller fires were also reported in various parts of the state.

There have been no reports of homes destroyed or injuries related to the fires.

Initial investigations showed that most of the fires were started by lightning. But in northern California, a 60-year-old woman, Brenda Eitzen, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sparking a fire by throwing a lit cigarette, a CDFFP official.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2009)