State of Emergency Declared, 1 Man Arrested for Starting a Fire

Smoke from the Sesnon fire billows over the 118 Freeway | AP Photo/Mike Meadows

"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," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in preface to his emergency proclamation. "It's critical that everyone in the warning areas continue to be prepared-know what you're going to take and be ready to move very quickly if the evacuation order comes in your area. The state is coordinating with federal and local officials to ensure that firefighters have the resources they need, but with such a serious situation on our hands, we need residents to take every precaution to remain safe during this dangerous and difficult time."

In San Bernardino, a homeless man was arrested after allegedly admitting he threw cigarette butts that began a fire that burned a mile of brush along the 210 Freeway earlier this morning. The 10:22 a.m. fire was contained in an hour and a half.

The mandatory evacuation in Newport was called off earlier tonight after it was contained at 5:15 p.m.. Further South, the Juliet Fire at Camp Pendleton has burned at least 1,200 acres.

In Los Angeles, the latest reports by LA County Fire state the Sesnon Fire that began this morning in Porter Ranch has burned around 5,000 acres and the Marek Fire in the Northeast Valley that ignited early Sunday morning has burned nearly 5,000 acres and has been 5% contained.