FALLBROOK, Calif. - A wildfire that doubled in size overnight moved onto a Marine Corps base yesterday after burning dozens of homes and injuring 11 people in a wealthy enclave north of San Diego.

Associated Press Mary Fogg holds her hand to her head as she walks near the rubble of her home yesterday, in Fallbrook, Calif. A fire fanned by Santa Ana winds destroyed several homes and damaged others in the area Sunday.

The wind was calmer yesterday than the day before, but there was a threat of an ocean breeze.

The fire had grown to 4,000 acres yesterday as it moved northward toward Camp Pendleton, where base fire crews were ready to take it on.

"It's a huge base," said a spokesman, Lt. Greg Scott. "It's like a town, so we've got to be prepared."

No structures or people were threatened on the 125,000-acre base, but the blaze had burned an area of dry brush and rugged hills on its eastern end, Scott said.

The base is home to more than 30,000 Marines.

The fire was reported yesterday about 60 miles north of San Diego. Residents led horses away and others fled with virtually nothing as flames raced through a hilly area of ranches, avocado groves and homes valued at up to $1 million.

About 40 structures were burned, most of them homes, said Capt. Rick Mann of the North County Fire Protection District.

He said an ocean breeze was expected to kick up late in the day, which could change the direction of the fire's movement.

"We're saying prayers that the winds stay calm," Mann said. "We can't really be sure."

The blaze was only 5 percent contained by yesterday morning. More than 700 firefighters were on the line. The cause of the blaze was unknown.

Eleven people were taken to hospitals, including six who suffered smoke inhalation and hypothermia when they jumped into a swimming pool to escape the flames, Mann said. Ten of the injured were treated and released.

Pete Jespersen grabbed an American flag and held it up to his face as he ran through heavy smoke to escape his in-laws' home.

"I tried to save the house, but it was no use," said Jespersen, who sprayed water on the structure. Soot covered his face and arms.

"It just came so fast," said Ralph Cox, 51, who was trapped in his adobe house when fire raced up a hillside covered with manzanita scrub and citrus trees. He said he heard an explosion before flames surrounded his home.

"It was just a big pop and a solid wall of fire," said Cox, who was rescued by firefighters who made an escape path out of the house.

About 100 people were displaced by the fire, including some evacuated from an officers' housing area at the Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook.

The fire came within 500 yards of the housing, spokesman Gregg Smith said. Ammunition and other weapons stored on the base are protected inside structures that can withstand fire, said Smith.

A school was opened as a shelter but most fire victims sought refuge overnight in private homes.

The blaze was driven by Santa Ana winds that gusted up to 60 mph. Gusts whipped to 100 mph in other parts of Southern California during the weekend. The wind overturned tractor-trailer rigs, downed power lines and knocked over a tree that killed a tennis player in Simi Valley on Saturday.