Movie star-turned-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles and Ventura counties following Monday's (13Oct08) wildfire outbreak.

Holding a press conference on Tuesday morning (14Oct08), the former Terminator star revealed 64 homes had been destroyed by the blazes and there had been one fatality in the Marek, California fire.

He praised firefighters for their efforts overnight - they worked tirelessly to contain the blazes, which were 70 per cent under control at press time.

Schwarzenegger said, "It looked really bad but the firefighters... have turned this whole thing around... Miracles happened through the night and great, great work was done." (KL/WN/ZN)

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