A DISTRAUGHT Bournemouth woman is waiting for news of her entire family caught up in wildfires raging across California.

Valerie Snaith's husband, two daughters and her grandson are among the hundreds of thousands who have been evacuated from the path of firestorms which have engulfed 200,000 acres in the Los Angeles area.

Her daughter, Leigh Anne Snaith-Brenton, and husband John Brenton were forced to flee their home in San Marcos, San Diego, almost a year to the day after they moved in.

Valerie's husband George, their youngest daughter Paula and her seven-month-old son Daniel, who had flown out on Saturday for a two-week visit, are also stuck in the panic.

Valerie, 58, of Wellington Road, told the Daily Echo her family had the call they had been dreading yesterday, at 6.30am our time. They evacuated to a high school.

"It has been absolutely awful," said Valerie. "I'm just at home watching TV seeing what's happening.

"It absolutely terrifying. You can see the fires on the news. The sky is red.

"I'm just devastated they're all there and I'm here on my own."

Her daughter, Leigh Anne, who is recovering from breast cancer, had only recently finished decorating the house.

Yesterday at least 655 homes had been destroyed and thousands more homes were threatened across the region.

The fires, fed by dry weather and strong winds, are expected to worsen. Valerie said: "They put everything they have into that house. I don't know what's going to happen. It's in the middle of all these fires."

She last heard from her family as they had reached the evacuation centre and had been sitting in their car for more than four hours.

She said: "They were in the car park of the school waiting for the authorities to tell them what to do next.

"All around them the people of San Marcos were doing the same."

More than 1,500 firefighters have been battling the blazes and 1,500 National Guardsmen have been brought in to help.

At least one person has been killed. Four firefighters and at least 10 other people have been injured.

Valerie, who had stayed at home to job hunt, is now glued to the television and internet hoping for good news.

Her supplier Virgin Media cut off her television yesterday morning as part of an ongoing dispute over bills.

But after a desperate call from Valerie, who was watching news at the time, the service was reconnected.