'Worst in My Lifetime': Wind-Whipped Fires Char 500 Mobile Homes

"We took residents out in fire trucks," he said. "It was amazing to see that the firefighters left at the very last minute that they had. ... Our hoses melted into the cement and concrete."

Firefighters try to save a home as another burns in the background during a wildfire that destroyed...

Firefighters try to save a home as another burns in the background during a wildfire that destroyed several homes, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. The fire in this foothill community on the edge of the Angeles National Forest broke out late Friday and charred more than two square miles in a few hours, prompting officials to order about 5,000 residents to leave their homes.

(Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

He showed off a tattered American flag that had been rescued.

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said he was concerned that some people may have died there. No deaths have been reported, but Bratton said police cannot go into the park with search dogs until the ground cools.

Many of the residents are elderly people who might have had a hard time getting out, Bratton said. He said he is also concerned because there are many burned cars at the park, even though people who evacuate usually take their vehicles.

The mobile home park has been declared a crime scene by police, leading to speculation that the fire there may have been arson.

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There is still just 20 percent containment of the Sylmar fire, which burned more than 8,000 acres and caused officials to put an estimated 10,000 people in the fire's path under mandatory evacuation orders.

A portion of Interstate 5, the most heavily used highway connecting Southern and Northern California, is closed.

At one point this morning, there were serious concerns that power lines where the fire was raging might be damaged, which could have led to widespread power outages.

The Sylmar firestorm may prove to be the worst urban fire in Los Angeles in more than four decades. As of midday, it had destroyed at least 500 homes and spread over at least 6,500 acres.

"It's the worst in my lifetime -- the worst since the Bel Air fire in 1961," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

In that fire, nearly 500 homes were lost in one of the city's most wealthy residential communities.

"They're throwing everything at it that they can," Yaroslavsky said. "But when you're having 70-mile-an-hour winds, you're talking about the safety of the firefighters themselves."

The "red flag warning" of highest fire danger has been extended to Sunday afternoon.