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Victory in sight for firefighters battling California blazes
Los Angeles (AFP) Oct 29, 2007 Firefighters have tamed the handful of wildfires still burning in California, but officials on Monday warily stopped short of declaring outright victory in their battle with the blazes. The devastating wildfires which erupted on October 21 were among the worst in Californian history, leaving seven people dead, destroying 2,000 homes and displacing 640,000 people as they tore through tinder-dry parks and forests. At the height of the crisis 23 fires were raging. But a lull in winds which fueled the flames early last week combined with cooling temperatures allowed firefighters to gain the upper hand over the weekend. Early Monday only six fires continued to be classified as "active," a spokeswoman at the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Mary Ann Aldridge, told AFP. All six were more than 50 percent contained, she added. While the fires were expected to be fully contained within days, Aldridge said firefighters were not yet ready to declare victory amid forecasts of strong winds and hotter weather towards the end of the week. "We are pleased with the progress that has been made over the weekend," Aldridge said. "However as always we are staying vigilant. "Some drier weather and stronger winds have been forecast so we won't take anything for granted," she said. "The nature of fires like these is that the situation can change very quickly. "There's always that risk but we are hopeful they will be contained by the end of the week." The biggest of the fires, the 198,000-acre (80,130-hectare) Witch Fire in San Diego County, was 95 percent contained. Firefighters expect to have it fully controlled by the end of Tuesday. The deadliest blaze which claimed five victims, the Harris Fire, also in San Diego, was expected to be fully contained by Wednesday. Earlier Monday, officials said homes were no longer at risk. But in later statements, Aldridge said 3,200 homes remained threatened. Evacuation orders have been lifted in many areas, although 11 shelters housing around 1,100 people remained open. The fires are the worst to hit the state since 2003, when 22 people were killed and more than 3,000 homes lost in a series of blazes. At least two of them were believed to have been set deliberately. San Diego County officials have put the cost of property damage at more than one billion dollars, although insurance industry analysts have said it may go as high as 1.6 billion. Meanwhile, pop star Gwen Stefani announced on Monday she would donate the proceeds of a San Diego concert scheduled for Tuesday to victims of the fire. "When I heard about the devastation of the fires, at first I felt I should cancel my show out of respect," Stefani told local radio. "But then it occurred to me there might be a more useful solution, she said. Related Links Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology
Lessons from past disasters help combat California blaze
Los Angeles (AFP) Oct 28, 2007Lessons learned from previous disasters helped save lives in California's wildfire crisis but better pre-emptive strategies could have helped douse the flames earlier, analysts say. |
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