LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Fires burned across California for a fifth day Monday but a lull in winds allowed firefighters to make progress against infernos that destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee.
Since erupting last Thursday, multiple fires have scorched around 41,000 acres (16,600 hectares), gutted around 800 residences and prompted tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
However, after threatening to be overwhelmed by fast-moving infernos which were being swept along by gusts of up to 80 miles (128 kilometers) per hour, firefighters tackling the flames caught a break as winds eased.
The biggest blaze, a 28,900-acre (11,700-hectare) complex of infernos burning in Orange County south of Los Angeles, was 40 percent contained as of Monday. The fire, which erupted Saturday, destroyed at least 120 homes.
Meanwhile a fire that struck in Los Angeles late Friday and was described as one of the worst to hit the city in nearly half a century was also on course for containment.
The fire near the suburb of Sylmar devastated nearly 500 properties in a mobile home park and has burned around 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) but is now 40 percent contained.
"The overall big picture is we're encouraged by the weather," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection incident commander Ray Chaney told the Los Angeles Times. "We're not going to let our guard down. We've got several days of hard, hard work."
So far only 11 injuries have been reported across the entire region.
The cause of the fires remains unknown.
Search teams continued to sift through the wreckage of the mobile home park destroyed in Los Angeles for possible victims but said Monday there was no evidence any lives had been lost.
"We have not found any human remains at this point," Los Angeles coroner's assistant chief Ed Winter told reporters.
Thick smoke which had shrouded Los Angeles on Sunday -- blotting out the downtown skyline as well as famous landmarks such as the city's iconic Hollywood sign -- had dispersed on Monday.
Schools throughout the city opened on Monday but outdoor activities were cancelled because of concerns over air quality.
The fire crisis also forced the cancellation of the inaugural Pasadena Marathon on Sunday because of health concerns for runners.
Meanwhile, firefighters were on course for victory against the fire which tore through the millionaires' playground of Montecito, north of Los Angeles, after erupting on Thursday.
Some 210 residences had been gutted by the fire, which has burned around 1,940 acres (785 hectares) and was 95 percent contained. Full containment was expected later Monday.
California is frequently hit by scorching wildfires due to its dry climate, Santa Ana winds and recent housing booms which have seen housing spread rapidly into rural and densely forested areas.
Only just over a year ago California suffered devastation from wildfires among the worst in its history that left eight people dead, gutted 2,000 homes, displaced 640,000 people and caused one billion dollars in damage.
In June and July this year, a series of about 2,000 fires raged across the state, scorching some 900,000 acres (364,230 hectares) of land.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
