Winds could fan deadly Calif. wildfire

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) â?? A fire that killed an elderly man who refused to evacuate and burned 20 homes in rural San Diego County was smoldering Tuesday, but gusty afternoon winds could push it back to life, authorities said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters planned an all-out effort to surround the blaze, which continued to threaten about 25 homes in the rural community of Tierra del Sol near the U.S.-Mexican border, said fire spokesman Andy Menshek. Residents of two other small communities were allowed to return home earlier.

About 80 residents remained under evacuation orders.

"That is the one remaining evacuated area," Menshek said. "That's out highest priority today â?¦ we have propane tanks, downed power lines and a lot of hotspots to mop up."

The fire, which has burned nearly 4 1/2 square miles of hilly brush land since Sunday, was 55 percent contained.

Although no active flame was showing, winds began picking up Tuesday morning and gusts of up to 40 mph could hit in the afternoon, Menshek said.

"If we get one ember over the line, the fire could take off," he said.

On Monday, the body of an elderly man was retrieved from a burned home in Tierra del Sol. Neighbors reported the man missing when they saw his only vehicle parked at the home, authorities said. His identity was not immediately released, but neighbors told U-T San Diego he was 82 and had one leg.

Reverse 911 calls notifying homeowners of the evacuation order were made by the county sheriff's department. Neighbors said the man decided to remain.

"He felt that he was going to be OK if he stayed," sheriff's Lt. Rose Kurupas told the newspaper.

"He chose to stay and that's sad," Menshek said. "That's why we issue these evacuations."

Other blazes in the West remained active, blanketing some communities in eastern Washington state with smoke. The air quality in many Wenatchee and Cashmere areas was deemed either "hazardous" or "unhealthy" by state officials.

Authorities there updated the sizes of two of the state's largest fires after more accurate mapping and burnouts to create fire lines, officials said. The Wenatchee complex of fires was reported at 82 square miles, while the Table Mountain fire had burned nearly 57 square miles.

Crews also gained ground on a 5 1/2-square-mile fire in Montana's Musselshell County, allowing residents to return to about 50 homes southeast of Roundup. That blaze was human-caused and under investigation.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Winds could fan deadly Calif. wildfire

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/AP

Residents help battle the fire in Murrieta, Calif. Firefighters say it's too soon to determine the gender of the body found in a burned home in the Campo area on Monday.

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) â?? A fire that killed an elderly man who refused to evacuate and burned 20 homes in rural San Diego County was smoldering Tuesday, but gusty afternoon winds could push it back to life, authorities said.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters planned an all-out effort to surround the blaze, which continued to threaten about 25 homes in the rural community of Tierra del Sol near the U.S.-Mexican border, said fire spokesman Andy Menshek. Residents of two other small communities were allowed to return home earlier.

About 80 residents remained under evacuation orders.

"That is the one remaining evacuated area," Menshek said. "That's out highest priority today â?¦ we have propane tanks, downed power lines and a lot of hotspots to mop up."

The fire, which has burned nearly 4 1/2 square miles of hilly brush land since Sunday, was 55 percent contained.

Although no active flame was showing, winds began picking up Tuesday morning and gusts of up to 40 mph could hit in the afternoon, Menshek said.

"If we get one ember over the line, the fire could take off," he said.

On Monday, the body of an elderly man was retrieved from a burned home in Tierra del Sol. Neighbors reported the man missing when they saw his only vehicle parked at the home, authorities said. His identity was not immediately released, but neighbors told U-T San Diego he was 82 and had one leg.

Reverse 911 calls notifying homeowners of the evacuation order were made by the county sheriff's department. Neighbors said the man decided to remain.

"He felt that he was going to be OK if he stayed," sheriff's Lt. Rose Kurupas told the newspaper.

"He chose to stay and that's sad," Menshek said. "That's why we issue these evacuations."

Other blazes in the West remained active, blanketing some communities in eastern Washington state with smoke. The air quality in many Wenatchee and Cashmere areas was deemed either "hazardous" or "unhealthy" by state officials.

Authorities there updated the sizes of two of the state's largest fires after more accurate mapping and burnouts to create fire lines, officials said. The Wenatchee complex of fires was reported at 82 square miles, while the Table Mountain fire had burned nearly 57 square miles.

Crews also gained ground on a 5 1/2-square-mile fire in Montana's Musselshell County, allowing residents to return to about 50 homes southeast of Roundup. That blaze was human-caused and under investigation.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Rain aids battle against California wildfire

LOS ANGELES – Rain arrived Wednesday to help in the assault on a 3,800-acre fire in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.

By David McNew, Getty Images

A firefighter covers his face against the heat of advancing flames at the Williams fire in the Angeles National Forest on Tuesday north of Glendora, Calif.

By David McNew, Getty Images

A firefighter covers his face against the heat of advancing flames at the Williams fire in the Angeles National Forest on Tuesday north of Glendora, Calif.

Remnants of Tropical Storm John brought the precipitation and darkened the skies over the Angeles National Forest where firefighters have been working on steep slopes since Sunday to put out a blaze in chaparral that hasn't burned in 15 or 20 years.

With the showers came the risk of dry lightning, which has already started more than 50 fires in California this summer, said National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto.

The latest fire started northeast of Los Angeles and was 24 percent contained before the rains came, officials said. It was expected to be fully surrounded on Sept. 13.

There were nearly 1,300 firefighters on hand despite the treacherous terrain and slopes between 30 percent and 80 percent. At least five firefighters have sustained minor injuries.

A 25 percent chance of thunderstorms continues in the area through Thursday, Seto said.

Temperatures will decrease a few degrees, but uncomfortable humidity will rise from 20 percent in the morning to as much as 70 percent later in the day, Seto said.

The moisture is the last hurrah from the storm from the south, which got churned up in a low pressure system approaching from the north, Seto explained.

Firefighters can also expect winds from the southwest of about 15 mph, he said. Winds on the fire front could be different, he said, since fires create their own winds.

By the weekend, a high-pressure system should arrive, clearing the skies and raising temperatures a few degrees but lowering humidity, Seto said.

On the fire lines, crews have eight air tankers, 10 helicopters, 68 engines, eight dozers and 11 water tenders.

Firefighters are still looking for a cause. A burned car was found in the area, but it was unknown if the car caused the fire or was just destroyed by it.

As many as 12,000 people were asked to leave the area over the busy Labor Day weekend. About 25 residents of the nearby community of Camp Williams refused to leave.

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10,000 still displaced in raging Colorado wildfire

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – Making steady progress Saturday against the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, crews kept a wary eye on weather that was getting warmer and drier as National Guard troops were deployed to help local police get things back to normal.

By Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Destroyed homes sit beside homes left untouched by fire in a neighborhood affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on Saturday in Colorado Springs.

By Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Destroyed homes sit beside homes left untouched by fire in a neighborhood affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on Saturday in Colorado Springs.

"The weather is making progress in a bad direction. Hotter, drier, with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds will shift from one direction to another," said Incident Commander Rich Harvey.

The 26-square-mile Waldo Canyon fire was 45 percent contained by Saturday afternoon. It was one of many burning across the West, including eight in Utah and a fast-growing blaze in Montana that forced residents in several small communities to leave.

About 1,200 personnel and six helicopters were fighting the Waldo Canyon fire, and authorities said they were confident they'd built good fire lines in many areas to stop flames from spreading.

"Crews made progress all around the fire,'" said Harvey, who was cautiously optimistic. "The fire potential is still very, very high. It's extreme and explosive."

Two bodies were found in the ruins of one house, one of almost 350 destroyed in this city 60 miles south of Denver. The victims' names haven't been released. Police Chief Pete Carey said Saturday afternoon the approximately 10 people who had been unaccounted for had now been located.

Police did not expect to discover other victims in the rubble.

More than 150 National Guard soldiers and airmen helped Colorado Springs police staff roadblocks and patrol streets. Carey said Saturday the presence of military personnel will allow his department to resume normal police work in the rest of the city.

About 10,000 people remain evacuated, down from more than 30,000 at the fire's peak.

The mood was light as evacuees filtered back into an unscathed neighborhood of winding streets and split-level homes within an easy walk of the burned area.

High school counselor Pat Allen and her husband, Vic Miller, were all smiles less than five minutes after returning to their tri-level home on a quiet cul-de-sac.

"I'm just wanting to kiss the house, dance with the neighbors", Allen said.

Their house didn't smell of smoke. Their electricity was out for two or three days but the popsicles in their freezer didn't melt, she said.

Around the corner, retiree Nina Apsey wandered in search of eight small, solar-powered lights that somebody had taken from her yard during the evacuation.

"I'm assuming it was vandalism," she said.

Prized possessions still piled into the Hyundai sport-utility vehicle in her garage included caribou antlers and antelope and deer head mounts. As flames bore down, she'd also taken a small ceramic cowboy statue. Her late husband taught her how to hunt. He resembled the cowboy, she said.

She wasn't too perturbed about her missing lights because nothing else was touched.

"If that's the worst that happened to me, I'm blessed," she said.

On Sunday people whose homes were burned will be allowed to tour the affected areas. Authorities said some residences would be cordoned off with police tape, and people would not be allowed beyond that point.

The home of Janine Herbertson and her 15-year-old daughter, Tessa Konik, remained unburned amid 150 others that were destroyed, said Herbertson as they ate lunch outside a Red Cross shelter.

Even so, "I'm afraid to go on the tour tomorrow and see our neighborhood in ruins," she said.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire that broke out on June 23, and which so far has cost $8.8 million to battle. Dangerous conditions had kept them from beginning their inquiry.

Among the fires elsewhere in the West:

• Utah: Residents were sifting through the ashes of more than 50 houses destroyed by a central Utah wildfire. Homeowners were allowed to return Saturday to Indianola along Utah's scenic Route 89. In all, eight wildfires are burning across Utah.

• Montana: Authorities in eastern Montana ordered the evacuation of several communities Saturday as the Ash Creek Complex fires, which has burned more than 70 homes this week, consumed another 72 square miles. The blaze grew to 244 square miles overnight.

• Wyoming: A wind-driven wildfire in a sparsely populated area of southeastern Wyoming exploded from eight square miles to nearly 58 square miles in a single day, and an unknown number of structures have burned. About 200 structures were considered threatened.

• Idaho: A fast-moving 1,000-acre wildfire in eastern Idaho that destroyed 66 homes and 29 outbuildings was expected to be contained Saturday. Some 1,000 residents were evacuated; it was unclear when they would be allowed back.

• Colorado: The last evacuees from the High Park Fire in northern Colorado have been allowed to return home as crews get closer to full containment. The 136-square-mile fire killed one resident and destroyed 259 houses, a state record until the fire near Colorado Springs destroyed 346 homes. In western Colorado, the 18-square-mile Pine Ridge Fire was 10 percent contained.

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Utah wildfire evacuees allowed to return to homes

About 2,300 Utah wildfire evacuees were allowed to return to their homes Saturday evening after officials determined the blaze no longer posed a threat to them.

By Lynn DeBruin, AP

fills the sky Friday above Saratoga Springs, Utah.

By Lynn DeBruin, AP

fills the sky Friday above Saratoga Springs, Utah.

The decision came after the fire had burned Friday within a quarter mile of some homes in Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Teresa Rigby said.

No homes have burned, she said, and fire officials were comfortable with the decision to lift the evacuation order after seeing how the 9-square-mile blaze behaved Saturday afternoon during high winds and high temperatures.

"The fire itself is still active but it no longer is a direct threat to homes," Rigby told The Associated Press. "Most of the fire is up on the mountain at this time and not near the subdivisions."

By Sam Noblett, Gannett

Flames roar down a Colorado mountainside Saturday.

The evacuation order, imposed Friday, affected nearly 600 homes and roughly 2,300 residents, according to an updated count released Saturday by fire officials.

Winds pushed some of the fire back on itself Saturday afternoon, Rigby said, and crews managed to put out "hot spots" closest to homes.

The fire that officials believe was started Thursday by target shooters was 30% contained Saturday evening, with full containment expected Tuesday.

Crews also were battling a 16,500-acre brush fire on high desert near the town of Delta in central Utah.

The human-caused fire was 60% contained Saturday evening, BLM spokesman Don Carpenter said, and had burned no homes after breaking out Friday.

While the fire was burning roughly eight miles from the communities of Lynndyl and Leamington, it posed no threat to them at this time, he said.

Elsewhere:

— A fast-growing blaze has spread to 75,537 acres in Colorado, making it the second-largest wildfire in the state's recorded history and threatening numerous homes north of Fort Collins.

High Park Fire Incident Commander Bill Hahnenberg said Saturday morning that the fire spread rapidly toward two subdivisions, Glacier View Meadows and Hewlett Gulch, on Friday as the fire jumped the Narrows section of Poudre Canyon in highly erratic weather conditions and moved northwest. Containment of the fire was reported at 45 percent Saturday morning.

Firefighters had to pull out of the neighborhood Friday when they encountered flames 200 feet high, he said.

"We saved two homes," he said. "And obviously we lost quite a few."

There were 25 fire engines, two 20-person fire crews and five heavy air tankers fighting the fire in the Glacier View Meadows area Saturday, but possible wind gusts of more than 30 mph could ground the aircraft, he said

— In Nevada, a wildfire that has scorched more than 11,000 acres of rugged terrain in northeast Nevada near the Utah line is 75% contained. It began as a U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn that escaped June 9.

— In New Mexico, a lightning-caused wildfire that destroyed 242 homes and businesses is 90% contained after crews got a break in the weather. Crews took advantage of heavy rain Friday to increase containment lines on the 69-square-mile fire near Ruidoso that began June 4. Meanwhile, the more than 464-square-mile Whitewater-Baldy blaze, the largest in state history, is 87% contained. It began May 16 as two lightning-caused blazes that merged to form one fire.

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Colo. wildfire tops 100 square miles

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The High Park Fire has hopscotched, scorched and charred through more than 100 square miles since it began June 9, destroying almost 200 homes.

By Ed Andrieski, AP

Fire burns trees on the High Park wildfire near Livermore, Colo., on Tuesday. The fire already has destroyed at least 189 homes since it was sparked by lightning June 9.

By Ed Andrieski, AP

Fire burns trees on the High Park wildfire near Livermore, Colo., on Tuesday. The fire already has destroyed at least 189 homes since it was sparked by lightning June 9.

For the first time, reporters were allowed access behind road closures so they could show the public what happened.

It isn't pretty.

The fire destroyed a blue single-story home across from the entrance to Picnic Rock State Park, leaving little but a foundation and a tangle of debris. But a few yards east, a white pickup truck sat untouched. Grasses and trees are blackened and burned in front of the house, but a large satellite dish to the west appeared unharmed.

Just north of the mouth of Poudre Canyon entrance, the fire destroyed another house despite firefighters' efforts to stop the blaze in that area.

"Unfortunately, the fire got ahead of us," said Poudre Fire Authority spokesman Capt. Patrick Love, who led the tour Wednesday. "It was not only difficult to see, but the fire was spreading quickly. We were outstripped."

A reporter and photographer flew over the burn area Tuesday afternoon and saw large unburned areas within the main fire perimeter, in some places looking like tiger stripes or leopard spots.

And on Wednesday's tour, Love pointed out how the south side of the Picnic Rock area was relatively unscathed and still covered with vegetation that Love said potentially could reignite.

"And then we're off to the races again," Love said, referring to the possibility of a new fire breaking out.

The tour included only two areas where residents had been allowed to return and did not encompass the hardest-hit areas where most of the 189 homes were destroyed and a woman was killed in her cabin before she could escape the flames.

"It's going to be years before this area returns to the way it was," said John Schulz, a spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff, while standing on the grounds of the untouched Gateway Park Natural Area. "While it will be different, we hope we'll still be able to offer a good experience for our visitors and our residents. But it will be a different experience."

Wildlife also will be affected for years to come. Most birds and mammals, except those too young or too old to flee, have been able to travel to less intense areas, said Mark Vieira, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist. They likely will return when new grasses sprout from the ashes.

But fish face big challenges: At first, fish are threatened with the heat of the fire itself. Next comes the slurry firefighters drop from the air to douse the blaze. Finally, following the blaze, ash and large amounts of sediment flow into streams.

Ash can clog a fish's gills, said Randy Hampton, a spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Stream health also affects the ability of insects, food for the fish, to breed.

Almost 2,000 firefighters are working to battle the blaze, which is considered 55 percent contained. Now officials want to keep unscathed sections within the burn area from igniting. Costs are approaching $20 million.

(Contributing: Bobby Magill and Madeline Novey, Fort Collins Coloradoan)

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USA's largest wildfire continues to scorch New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A rugged swath of forest in southwestern New Mexico pumped out more columns of smoke Tuesday as U.S. Forest Chief Tom Tidwell surveyed the burn scar being left behind by what has developed into the largest wildfire in the nation.

AP

Firefighters check piles being burnt from salvage logging along the edge of the Gila National Forest blaze in New Mexico.

AP

Firefighters check piles being burnt from salvage logging along the edge of the Gila National Forest blaze in New Mexico.

Tidwell took an early morning aerial tour of the blaze, which has scorched more than 400 square miles since being sparked by lightning about three weeks ago. The fire became the largest in New Mexico's recorded history after making daily runs across tens of thousands of acres as winds whipped fiercely.

Tidwell said his flight over the fire brought home its size and the ruggedness of the Gila wilderness.

"I know there are a lot of times people question why we're not able to get in there and put out these fires right away," he said. "If folks could actually see how rugged the terrain is, how steep these canyons are, how much fuel is there, the size of the timber and how inaccessible it is, I think they would quickly understand."

Tidwell and other federal officials earlier this spring had predicted this would be a busy fire season as drought sweeps across a broader section of the West, leaving overgrown forests even more susceptible than last year.

"We get a start at the right time and we get the right weather conditions, we're going to have some large fires," he said during a news conference Tuesday in Albuquerque. "What we need to focus on is making sure our communities understand that."

A lack of moisture combined with already dry fuels and warm temperatures are making for challenging conditions across the southern half of the United States. And Tidwell said the central part of the West — from Colorado to California and up through southern Oregon — can expect fire danger to increase.

"We're probably going to have to deal with this down here for another four to six weeks at least before hopefully we'll get some summer rains," Tidwell said.

More than 1,100 firefighters have been assigned to the 259,000-acre Whitewater-Baldy fire. There have been only a handful of minor injuries, but firefighting efforts elsewhere have turned deadly.

Over the weekend, two pilots were killed when their air tanker crashed while fighting a fire in southern Utah.

Tidwell said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

"Our hearts go out to these pilots. They're as much a part of the firefighter community as anybody else is. It's just tragic when we lose them," he said.

In New Mexico, firefighters were building lines and conducting more burnout operations to keep the Whitewater-Baldy fire from making any aggressive runs along its boundaries. That way, crews could control the severity of the burn, said fire information officer Gerry Perry.

"We still have active fire within the perimeter, but they're a little more comfortable that they've got a handle on it," he said. "That doesn't mean the fire is over, but things are looking better."

Crews in the northern part of the state also were working Tuesday to contain a lightning-sparked blaze in the Santa Fe National Forest. The smoke could be seen dozens of miles away in Rio Rancho, N.M.

Forest officials said that fire started Sunday night and had burned about 190 acres southeast of Jemez Springs. No structures were being threatened, and no evacuations were planned.

With fires burning around the West and more expected as the season ramps up, Tidwell said he was confident the agency has the resources — both financial and in terms of equipment and crew — to respond. The Forest Service budgets $70 million a year for firefighting aircraft out of $2 billion overall fighting wildfires.

So far, fire information officers say the Whitewater-Baldy fire has cost an estimated $15.4 million to fight.

Congress has appropriated enough for what Tidwell calls a "moderate" season. Since it's expected to get busy, he said funds can be transferred from other accounts to cover costs.

"We've practiced good, sound financial management with fires, just like we do with every other part of our agency, but that doesn't factor into the decisions we're making," Tidwell said. "The decisions are based on what needs to occur, what's the right way to do this, what's the safe way to do this, and that's what determines what strategy we apply to these fires."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Nevada wildfire crews race against winds

Firefighters battle a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday. The fast-moving blaze near the Nevada-California line destroyed homes and forced evacuations

By Cathleen Allison, AP

WELLINGTON, Nev. (AP) – Fire crews in northern Nevada raced against Mother Nature, trying to secure a fire line Thursday above a second rural community before expected high winds moved in later in the day.

By Cathleen Allison, AP

A home is engulfed by flames from a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday.

By Cathleen Allison, AP

A home is engulfed by flames from a wildfire south of Gardnerville, Nev., on Tuesday.

The Topaz Ranch Estates fire that broke out earlier in the week near the Nevada-California line had burned 7,500 acres and was 15 percent contained as of midday.

A red flag warning for extreme fire danger was in effect through 11 p.m. because of high winds and low humidity.

Two homes and 17 outbuildings were destroyed in the Topaz Ranch Estates community in southern Douglas County on Tuesday when a suspected illegal residential burn from two days earlier was re-ignited by stiff winds, and flames roared through cheat grass, pinion, juniper and sagebrush.

The fire has since moved into the higher elevations of the Pine Nut Mountains near Wellington. A main concern for firefighters was keeping the blaze in the remote mountains and away from the Upper Colony residential area in neighboring Lyon County. Fire officials feared strong winds could push the flames down Rickey Canyon to the homes tucked along the east side of the mountain range.

"So far, so good," said Lyon County Manager Jeff Page around 2 p.m.

If crews could hold the fire in check through the afternoon winds, they were hoping the weather would turn in their favor Friday and Saturday, when the forecast called for much cooler temperatures and a chance of rain and possible snow in the higher elevations.

Officials believe an illegal residential burn over the weekend was re-ignited by gusty winds Tuesday, sparking the blaze.

No deaths or injuries have been reported.

Six helicopters worked to douse the fire from the air as 575 firefighters battled it on the ground. Four bulldozers were helping to build fire breaks and 14 engines were stationed around the area for structure protection.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, firefighters were being forced to sit on the sidelines Thursday as a massive wildfire that destroyed a dozen homes and several other structures in a small summer community in southwestern New Mexico grew larger and put more structures at risk.

Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday.

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Calif. wildfire fully contained, burned 125 acres

ACTON, Calif. (AP) – An aggressive air assault helped halt the spread of a wildfire in northern Los Angeles County that destroyed several structures and prompted the evacuation of some 30 homes.

By Maya Sugarman, AP

Los Angeles County Fire crews work to contain a 125-acre brush fire in Acton, Calif. on Tuesday afternoon.

By Maya Sugarman, AP

Los Angeles County Fire crews work to contain a 125-acre brush fire in Acton, Calif. on Tuesday afternoon.

The blaze erupted shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday near West Crown Valley Road in Acton and quickly spread due to gusty winds and low humidity. The 125-acre blaze was fully contained late Tuesday and all evacuated residents were allowed to return home, supervising county fire dispatcher Robert Diaz said.

Firefighters would remain on the scene overnight mopping up hot spots, Diaz said.

One mobile home, one outbuilding, two storage sheds and two vehicles were destroyed in the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Nearly 400 firefighters from LA County, the city of Los Angeles and the U.S. Forest Service battled the blaze, aided by five helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, authorities said.

Footage from television news helicopters showed towering flames and residents hosing down homes in the mountainous desert community about 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

The fire initially was pushed by northeast to east winds of 12 to 15 mph, with occasional gusts to 35 mph, the National Weather Service said. Winds decreased by early evening, but relative humidity remained in the single digits.

The blaze disrupted Metrolink service in the area and forced the closure of Soledad Canyon Road, authorities said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The sparsely populated area is located between Palmdale and Santa Clarita, near the Angeles National Forest.

Another wildfire destroyed about 52 acres near Acton in June. No injuries were reported in that fire.

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US nuclear lab to reopen after wildfire threat ends (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Officials at the Los Alamos National Laboratory said they will re-open the nuclear research center on Wednesday after it was closed in late June due to an encroaching wildfire.

The site in the southwestern state of New Mexico, where the atomic bomb was developed during World War II, "appears to have escaped serious damage from the Las Conchas fire," read a lab statement Sunday.

The site "will re-open to employees on Wednesday, July 6" following "the largest wildfire in New Mexico history," the statement read.

"Only senior leaders and essential services will be be permitted at the Lab on Tuesday," it added.

Flames reached laboratory property on June 27, but caused no damage. However the lab closed down temporarily, in part because the nearby town of Los Alamos, where half the lab employees live, was forced to evacuate.

All hazardous and radioactive materials were accounted for and protected during the shutdown, as were key lab facilities such as its proton accelerator and supercomputing centers, officials said.

Firefighters on Sunday gave the all-clear for the town of Los Alamos, and the 10,000 residents that had been ordered to leave began streaming back home.

The fire, the largest in New Mexico history, currently measures more than 121,000 acres (49,000 hectares). As of Sunday, it was 11% contained and had destroyed dozens of homes, according to the government-run New Mexico Fire Information website.

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