Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Wildfires Ease in California, Arizona

GORMAN, Calif. - Firefighters made progress Sunday on a 2,500-acre wildfire that chased thousands of people from campsites near Los Padres and Angeles national forests.

The 4-square-mile blaze was 85 percent surrounded, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mike Brown said.

"There are a few hot spots, but things are looking pretty good," Brown said.

The 200 firefighters on the lines were helped by lower nighttime temperatures.

More than 3,000 people were evacuated from four campsites in the area between the national forests, Brown said. Authorities said no homes were immediately threatened.

The fire was reported at about 2 p.m. Saturday near the Golden State Freeway about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Elsewhere, a wildfire that had threatened homes and other structures in two northern Arizona forests was 80 percent contained. Twenty-one evacuees were allowed home Sunday.

Officials projected full containment of the 6-square-mile Promontory fire by Tuesday. Fire managers began sending home some of the nearly 700 firefighters working on the blaze, fire spokeswoman Lori Cook said.

Rain also helped firefighters fight a blaze that burned 27 square miles of forest in the dry southern New Jersey Pinelands. At the height of the fire, 6,000 people were evacuated and a handful of homes were damaged or destroyed.

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