A wildfire has destroyed dozens of homes and forced 10,000 people to flee in the US state of California, prompting its governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to reactivate the state of emergency he declared last month, CNN reported.

A "dangerous and dynamic" wildfire in Southern California that left six firefighters hurt and destroyed dozens of homes grew to 4,650 acres Saturday night, officials said.

But firefighters have been able to contain 25 percent of the blaze, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

But the winds, blowing from the west, were unpredictable.

About 10,000 people fled their homes in the Malibu area ahead of the flames, which began around 3:30 a.m. PT (6:30 a.m. ET).

The fire has also knocked down power lines, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman. About 1,700 firefighters were battling the blaze, aided by 23 aircraft.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to make available help that was offered during the devastating fires in the region a few weeks ago.

"The state of emergency I declared last month has been reactivated, so no time is wasted in providing any needed resources to fight these fires or help those Californians who have been impacted," he said in a statement.

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