SAN FRANCISCO—Wild fires stoked by wind-driven desert gusts on Tuesday roared once again through California, ravaging its legendary forests with three big blazes that have killed two people and charred vast foothill and canyon areas in state’s driest year on record.
Fire crews have gained an upper hand on two big brush fires threatening upscale homes at the outskirts of Los Angeles, as fierce desert winds storming through the area subdued.
One of the more ferocious wildfires burning at the northern fringes of the heavily populated San Fernando Valley was almost completely contained after it consumed 4,800 acres of the bone-dry land of foothills and canyons. Crews have managed to steer the flames away with the help of water-dropping helicopters pouring water and fire retardants from the air. Evacuations and highway closures were ended by late morning on Tuesday.
The blaze ruined at least 19 buildings, and about 3,000 were forced to evacuate. Authorities urged residents to stay alert of potential new fires that may spark from smoldering dry grass and ground vegetation.
Another blaze that charred 5,000 acres several miles to the east of the San Fernando Valley was declared 70 percent contained Tuesday morning. More than 1,800 residents who were forced out of their homes on Sunday and Monday were allowed to return.
“I want to thank God and Mother Nature,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a press conference Tuesday morning. “Last night could have been a horrendous evening.”
The first big California conflagrations claimed the life of two people—a homeless man who was overcome by flames and smoke, found dead with his dog in a makeshift cardboard container under a highway pass, and a motorist who crashed head-on on a smoke-covered freeway.
The blazes that raged through the Golden State for three days in a row since Sunday turned nearly 27,000 acres into ashes, from San Diego to the historic Angel Island near San Francisco.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties due to a high fire-risk season.
“Even though we have had budget problems in our state, and we have had an economic slowdown, we have not spared one single dollar when it comes to fighting fires,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said.
The National Weather Service predicted the strong winds that blow in from the desert this time of year to continue into Wednesday. While the winds were less violent than expected, the state’s fire department officials warned residents to be extremely cautious because a “simple spark can cause a major wildfire.”
The latest series of destructive fires come one year after wildfires in Sothern California consumed 2,000 buildings, drove a record 500,000 residents out of their homes, and killed a dozen people in a single week.
Friends Read Free