LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Authorities ordered 36,000 residents of the southern Californian town of Ramona to evacuate from the path of wildfires that have burned large swathes of the state, police said.

Police were contacting 10,000 households in the town, 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of San Diego, ordering them to flee, said Phillip Brust, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Wildfires sparked a state of emergency and mass evacuations in California Sunday, with Hollywood stars forced to flee their million-dollar homes and at least one person killed, authorities said.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the emergency in seven of the state's southern counties late Sunday as firefighters battled the blazes, which started in the early morning and burned all day, fanned by strong winds.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Authorities ordered 25,000 residents of the southern Californian town of Ramona to evacuate from the path of wildfires that have burned large swathes of the state, police said.

Police were contacting 10,000 households in the town, 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of San Diego, ordering them to flee, said Phillip Brust, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Wildfires sparked a state of emergency in California Sunday, after Hollywood stars were forced to flee their million-dollar homes and at least one person was killed, authorities said.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the emergency in seven of the state's southern counties late Sunday as some 1,500 firefighters battled the blazes, which started in the early morning and burned all day, fanned by strong winds.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Sunday in seven counties of the state, where wild fires have killed at least one person and forced mass evacuations.

'Governor Schwarzenegger tonight proclaimed a state of emergency in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura due to more than 11 major wildfires,' his office said in a statement.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Wildfires Sunday charred parts of the exclusive seaside town of Malibu and forced evacuations of million-dollar homes of many top Hollywood stars, while a man was killed fighting another southern California blaze, authorities said.

Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles) fed the flames which devoured at least one church and several houses, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate in Malibu.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - A fast-burning wildfire ripped through the exclusive seaside town of Malibu Sunday, forcing authorities to order evacuations of a string of multimillion dollar homes belonging to some of Hollywood's top stars.

Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles) fed the flames which devoured at least one church and several houses, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Hundreds of people were evacuated on Sunday from the posh Californian city of Malibu after wildfires destroyed several homes and threatened to set ablaze a university, fire officials said.

Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles) fed the flames which devoured at least one church and several houses, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 11, 2007 (AFP) - California's cigar-loving leader Arnold Schwarzenegger has passed a law making it an offense to smoke in a car carrying children under the age of 18, official sources said Thursday.

The new law -- the latest in a series of crackdowns on smokers in California -- was signed into law by Hollywood icon Schwarzenegger on Wednesday at the state capitol in Sacramento.

Motorists can be issued with tickets for 100 dollars for violating the law, although cars would have to been stopped for another traffic offense before a ticket could be issued.