California on high alert as fires destroy dozens of homes Much of California is on high alert as fires tear through the state's south, destroying dozens of buildings. The fast-moving blaze dubbed the 'Saddleridge fire' in the San Fernando Valley in the northwest of Los Angeles exploded overnight from 1,600 acres (650 hectares) to 4,700 acres (1,620 hectares) in just a few hours. Oscar Mancillas, a resident of Sylmar, a neighborhood close to the fire thinks wildfires are the "new normal" adding that living in the state can be "a little daunting sometimes".