Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- California firefighters faced dry, hot winds and ``explosive fire growth potential'' as they battled blazes that killed two people in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared emergencies for the counties, while Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a similar declaration for the city. Fire danger and high wind warnings were posted for an area from the Mexican border to Paso Robles, 165 miles (266 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard, California.

Hot desert winds known as the Santa Anas will continue to cause ``low relative humidity and explosive fire growth potential today,'' according to a weather service bulletin.

The fires, which have burned about 10,000 acres, come after California experienced an unprecedented early start to its fire season in June, when lightning touched off a series of blazes that went on to consume more than 1 million acres and set a record for destruction.

``California has just had a terrible year,'' said Ken Frederick, a spokesman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

One of the fires, a Brows Canyon blaze known as the Senson fire, almost doubled in size overnight to 7,000 acres and remains out of control, while the other, the Marek fire, scorched 4,824 acres in the Little Tujunga Canyon in Los Angeles County, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Web site.

Homes Evacuated

There was a flare-up of the Senson fire this afternoon and 25 homes had to be evacuated, said Inspector Sam Padilla of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Padilla said the blaze was attacked by both ground crews and air tankers, and the homes were saved.

California's Santa Ana fire season traditionally runs from September through November, said Bruce Quintelier, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in Arcadia, California.

``When we get the Santa Ana winds in the fall months of the year, that is when our conditions become prime for catastrophic fires,'' Quintelier said by telephone.

``It's like a fire season within a fire season,'' Frederick said.

Structures Destroyed

Across the entire state of California, fires have burned 26,800 acres, destroyed 64 structures and threatened 3,800 more, Schwarzenegger said at a press conference today. More than 4,000 people have been evacuated, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said.

``You heard him say many are in shelters,'' Villaraigosa said. ``Many of their children won't be able to go to school; many of them had to leave their homes in a moment's notice.''

Schwarzenegger said the state's budget woes won't interfere with efforts to fight the fire. He signed a $143 billion budget Sept. 23, although declining revenues have already opened a $3 billion hole.

``Even though we have budget problems in our state, we do not spare one single dollar when it comes to fighting fires,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``We always get the money somehow.''

He said California spent $500 million last year to fight fires. He didn't give an estimate for this year's cost. According to state statistics, fires that began in June have cost California more than $390 million to fight.

Firefighters Catch Break

Quintelier said firefighters got a break last night when the Santa Anas weren't as severe as forecast, and crews managed to get the Marek fire about 75 percent contained.

``Last night could have been a very horrendous evening,'' Villaraigosa said today. ``The fact the winds were at the top of the mountains and not all the way down means we didn't have the kind of growth in this fire that we expected.''

Firefighters may get another break this afternoon, said Michael Pigott, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania.

``The Santa Ana winds will start weakening here around midday,'' Pigott said. ``Throughout the afternoon strong winds will begin to dissipate.''

Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency yesterday after two wildfires burned 10,000 acres.

``Winds are causing fire conditions to change by the hour, which is why it is so important that residents in the areas surrounding these wildfires heed warnings from public safety officials to evacuate,'' Schwarzenegger said in a statement on his Web site.

A homeless man and his dog were killed in one of the blazes, the Los Angeles Times reported. Another person was killed in a fire-related car accident, according to KCAL 9-TV, the local CBS Corp. affiliate.

Frederick said about 4.4 million acres have been burned by wildfires nationally, 1.3 million of them in California.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net;

Last Updated: October 14, 2008 16:25 EDT