Smaller fires broke out in San Diego and Orange Counties, while in Northern California firefighters were bringing under control a stubborn blaze on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, home to a historic immigration station. Only an abandoned water tank was destroyed there.  The cause of most of the blazes was not known, though at least one of the major fires here was thought to be of suspicious origin.  The outbreak of fires came one week shy of the first anniversary of a series of blazes in Southern California that destroyed more than 2,200 homes, killed 10 people, burned more than half a million acres from the Mexican border to Santa Barbara County and resulted in the largest evacuation in state history.  Every fall, until the first rains in November or December, firefighters and homeowners brace for trouble from the Santa Anas, which blow hot, dry wind from the east that can turn minor fires into raging storms.  “We always think of fires moving as a wave, but fires move under the Santa Ana winds by leapfrog,” said Scott Stephens, the co-director of the Center for Fire Research and Outreach at the University of California, Berkeley. “There are hundreds of waves, and as the embers hop in front, the fire could be starting a mile or two behind. That’s why it can jump an eight-lane highway.”  Before the strong winds arrived Monday, firefighters had made progress Sunday in containing a fire in the northeast San Fernando Valley that began near Marek Canyon.  It was in this fire that the homeless man, whose identity was not known, died. The fire scorched more than 5,000 acres, burned several mobile homes and forced 1,200 people near the Lake View Terrace district to evacuate.  “We could have had an army there, and it would not have stopped it,” said Battalion Chief Mario Rueda of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Wind is king here; it’s dictating everything we are doing.”  Then, on Monday morning, another large blaze, called the Sesnon fire, broke out in the Porter Ranch area, consuming more than 5,000 acres.  “We just grabbed some photo albums, important documents, the dog and we were out,” said Mary Ann Hooper, 70, who evacuated reluctantly after the police came to her door. “I was getting kind of anxious, but now I just want my home.”  Michael Parrish and Rebecca Cathcart contributed reporting from Los Angeles, and Liz Robbins from New York.
Fierce wildfires threatened Southern California for a third day after leaving two people dead and heralding the start of the most intense period of the fire season here.