MALIBU, Calif. -- A fast-moving wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds raced through the canyons and over the mountains of this wealthy enclave for the second time in little more than a month Saturday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing as many as 14,000 residents to flee.

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Phone Number For Residents To Get Information: 323-881-2411. Also: Fire.LACounty.gov

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The fire erupted in the early hours after the long-predicted Santa Anas finally returned, and it quickly grew before the winds died down. Forty-nine homes were destroyed and another 27 damaged, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman.

By midafternoon the fire was estimated at 4,500 acres, or about 7 square miles, with 25 percent containment.

"Waking up at 4 in the morning with the smell of smoke in your nose and the wind beating at the windows is something that we learn to live with here, but it always comes as something of a shock," said Mayor Jeff Jennings.

All the homes that were destroyed were in the fire's initial morning surge before the winds slowed and firefighters gained a foothold.

By Saturday evening, about half of the evacuees were allowed to return to their homes, authorities said. The fire had subsided considerably and was expected to be more than half contained Sunday, Freeman said.

Fifteen helicopters and 15 airplanes, including a retardant-dropping DC-10 jumbo jet, attacked from the air while 1,700 firefighters battled flames on the ground. Six firefighters suffered minor injuries.

More Than 300 Firefighters Deployed From Bay Area

"Lost homes can be rebuilt, but lost lives can't," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Malibu. "We're grateful there were no deaths."

Helicopters lowered hoses into pools and the nearby Pacific to refill their tanks for water-dropping runs, and SuperScooper amphibious airplanes skimmed the ocean to reload.

Hundreds of firefighters and equipment from throughout the state had been positioned in Southern California for most of the week because of the predicted winds, which had been expected to blow most of the week but didn't arrive until late Friday.

Officials remained wary despite the decrease in wind speeds.

The mayor said the fire "could have been far, far worse than it was" but still urged residents to "listen to your radios, go outside and see which way the wind is blowing. Stay alert. Stay vigilant."

Weary Residents Cope With Second Major Fire In As Many Months

Freeman said 10,000 to 14,000 people fled the fire.

The fire broke out along a dirt road off a paved highway, and there did not appear to be power lines in the area, Freeman said. Investigators were trying to determine the cause, he said.

"Everything is being investigated," Freeman said.

A hotspot flared for a time on several ridges behind Pepperdine University, but the campus did not appear to have been endangered. Helicopters used its broad oceanview lawn as a landing zone.

University officials told students to move to a campus shelter as a precaution, although the school remained largely empty because of the holiday weekend.

Another fire near Ramona in San Diego County was fully contained at 50 acres. A firefighter suffered a minor cut when an air tanker flying overhead dropped heavy retardant on a fire engine, breaking its windshield.

Power lines blown down by fierce winds caused last month's 4,565-acre Canyon Fire in Malibu that destroyed six homes, two businesses and a church. That blaze was part of siege of more than 15 Santa Ana-stoked wildfires that destroyed more than 2,000 homes, killed 14 people and blackened a total of 809 square miles between Los Angeles County and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Santa Anas, triggered by high pressure over the Great Basin, blow into Southern California from the north and northeast, racing down through the canyons and passes of the region's east-west mountain ranges and out to sea, pushing back the normal flow of moist ocean air.

Malibu, with homes tucked into deep and narrow canyons along 27 miles of coast on the southern foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, is prone to Santa Ana-driven wildfires. Among them was a 1993 blaze that destroyed 388 structures, including 268 homes, and killed three people.

Saturday's fire burned to the west of the portions of Malibu that burned in October.

Neighbors alerted one another, while authorities drove through Corral Canyon, a neighborhood of about 350 homes, telling people to leave. Along some narrow roads, several homes were reduced to embers while their neighbors were untouched.

Meredith Lobel-Angel, 51, and her husband, Frank Angel, 54, said they had 15 minutes to leave their split-level home and managed to take little other than some clothes and their laptops.

"I ran out on the deck and I just saw a little fire and smoke up the canyon on the ridge (about a mile away)," Frank Angel said. "By the time we evacuated it was already over the ridge. It spread faster than I've ever seen it."

Carol Stoddard, 48, a freelance videographer and photographer, captured some of the fire's destruction as trees beside her home and her collection of 12 uninsured cars burned.

"I stayed there until I couldn't breathe and the embers were flying everywhere," she said. "It was dark and I was standing around my house. I couldn't see. I couldn't grab enough stuff that was of importance like my passport."

She later returned to find that her wooden $2 million home had burned to the foundation. Appearing in shock, she said she was numb.

Some evacuees were treated to moments of joy and relief.

Geraldine Gilliland, 56, shrieked with happiness as an animal control officer reunited her with her six dogs and 21-year-old cat, left in her house when the fire drove workers at the property down the canyon.

"Oh my God. They got them, they got them, they got them!" she said, kneeling to embrace her pets.

"You can't put a price on human life or canine life; these are my babies."

Viewer Images, Oct. 2007 Wildfires

Viewer Images Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15| 16 | 17

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Previous Firestorm Stories:

• November 7, 2007: Angeles National Forest To Reopen After Wildfires
• November 5, 2007: Political Perspective: Wildfire Politics
• November 5, 2007: Body Found Near Border May Be 8th Wildfire Victim
• November 5, 2007: Full Containment Of Santiago Fire Now Expected On Tuesday
• November 4, 2007: Malibu Fire Blamed By Some On Old Power Poles
• November 3, 2007:OC Fire Authority Chief To Evacuees: 'You Can Go Home'
• November 1, 2007:Details About Admitted Fire Starter, 911 Tapes Released
• October 31, 2007: Authorities Consider Charges Against Boy Accused Of Starting Wildfire
• October 31, 2007: Calif. Gov Warns State Not Out Of Fire Danger Yet
• October 31, 2007: Poomacha Fire In Temecula No Longer Threat
• October 30, 2007: Crews Might Contain OC Fire By Sunday
• October 30, 2007: IRS Grants Wildfire Victims Extra Time To File Returns
• October 29, 2007: OC Authorities Solicit Photos Taken At Arson Origin
• October 29, 2007: Political Perspective: Wildfire Politics
• October 28, 2007: Firefighter Loses Own Home While Battling Blazes
• October 28, 2007: Sun Setting On Santiago Blaze
• October 28, 2007: OC Blog: The Fires
• October 27, 2007: FEMA Angers White House With Ruse Press Conference
• October 27, 2007: Firefighters Slowly Snuff Silverado Blaze
• October 27, 2007: Rain Welcomed In So Cal
• October 27, 2007: $10K Available To Those With Provable Damages, Officials Say
• October 27, 2007: Report: About 25 Percent Of Those Fighting So Cal Blaze Are Prisoners
• October 26, 2007: Fire Response Time Will Improve, Officials Say
• October 26, 2007: OC Authorities Announce Tip In Santiago Fire Investigation
• October 26, 2007: Power Restored To 20,000 Riverside County Customers
• October 26, 2007: Corporations Pledge Large Donations For Wildfire Disaster Relief
• October 26, 2007: FEMA Aid Centers Open In Santa Clarita, Castaic, Malibu
• October 25, 2007: Grounded Helicopters, Air Tankers Raise Questions
• October 25, 2007: Strike Teams Join Forces In San Bernardino National Forest
• October 25, 2007: Crews Attack SoCal Fires Amid Calm Conditions
• October 25, 2007: Investigators Search Two Areas In Connection With OC Arson Fire
• October 25, 2007: Viewer Questions Answered: Wildfire Health Hazards
• October 25, 2007: Bush, Governor Tour Burn Areas In San Diego County
• October 25, 2007: Two Bodies Found In Burned Home In Poway
• October 24, 2007: San Diego Wednesday Update
• October 24, 2007: Firefighters 'Going Nonstop' In San Bernardino County
• October 24, 2007: $120,000 Reward For Info Leading To Arrest Of OC Arsonist
• October 25, 2007: Rice Canyon Fire Licks At Riverside County's Southern Border
• October 24, 2007: Firefighters Gain Ground As Winds Decrease
• October 24, 2007: President Declares 7 SoCal Counties 'Major Disaster Areas'
• October 24, 2007: Investigators: Temecula Fires Might Be Arson Cases
• October 24, 2007: Malibu Fire: 75 Percent Contained, No Active Flames Reported
• October 24, 2007: San Diego Fire Containment May Not Come Until Nov. 4
• October 24, 2007: 10,000 San Bernardino Co. Homes Threatened; Highland Evacuated
• October 24, 2007: FEMA Release: Federal Aid For California Wildfire Victims
• October 24, 2007: Many Schools Remain Closed Wednesday In Wildfire Areas
• October 23, 2007: Santa Clarita Valley: Crews Prevent Fire From Crossing 5 Freeway
• October 23, 2007: Call For Wildfire Donation May Be Scam
• October 23, 2007: Mail Pick Up Available For Wildfire Evacuees
• October 23, 2007: San Diego Fire Officials Reinforce Some Witch Fire Evacuation Orders
• October 23, 2007: OC Wildfire Burns Homes In Modjeska Canyon
• October 23, 2007: Thousands Lose Power In SoCal Due To Winds, Fire
• October 23, 2007: 500 Firefighters Redeployed From Malibu To Other Fires
• October 23, 2007: Ways To Donate, Help Fire Evacuees
• October 23, 2007: Firefighters Protect Homes In Foothill Ranch
• October 23, 2007: 4th Wildfire Quickly Contained In Santa Clarita Valley
• October 23, 2007: Buckweed Fire 27 Percent Contained; 37,800 Acres Burned
• October 23, 2007: Fire-Fanning Santa Ana Winds Should Diminish By Tuesday Night
• October 23, 2007: Ranch Fire Near Castaic Burns 41,000 Acres; 10 Percent Contained
• October 23, 2007: San Diego Fire 'Like Armageddon' Says Firefighter
• October 23, 2007: Hundreds Of OC Homes Threatened By Santiago Canyon Fire
• October 23, 2007: Check For Continuing School Closures Due To Southland Wildfires
• October 23, 2007: Angeles National Forest Closed To Public Due To Wildfires
• October 22, 2007: Power Outages Affect More Than 400,000 SCE Customers
• October 22, 2007: County Issues Health Warning During Southland Fires
• October 22, 2007: Metrolink Trains Diverted Near Pedley Due To Electrical Outage
• October 21, 2007: Homes, Church Destroyed In 2,000-Acre Malibu Fire
• October 21, 2007: Horses, Large Animals Evacuated From Topanga Canyon
• October 21, 2007: Malibu Residents Advised Against Outdoor Activities
• October 21, 2007: T-CEP Warns Residents Of Possible Evacuation
• October 20, 2007: So Cal Braces For Windy Weekend