Crews keep wildfire from taking more homes south of L.A.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — Firefighters made significant progress trying to tamp down a wildfire that threatened homes and has been raging for days south of Los Angeles, officials said Saturday.

Aircraft have been making flight after flight, dumping water and bright pink retardant to protect Lake Elsinore and other foothill communities as the fire sweeps through the dense, bone-dry brush of Cleveland National Forest.

The Holy Fire — named for Holy Jim Canyon, where it began Monday — grew to nearly 33 square miles by Saturday morning. But firefighters also made progress, with containment rising from 10 percent to 29 percent.

High temperatures and dry grass and brush have made it difficult for firefighters to get a handle on the blaze. Some hillsides were being allowed to burn under the watchful eyes of firefighters as a way to reduce fuel and make it harder for flames to jump roadways into communities if winds pick up again.

Although the fire burned a dozen forest cabins early on, only one home was lost Thurs- day as fire crews managed to fend off flames that stalked downhill and came right up to yards.

On Saturday, officials allowed some residents to return to their homes in Lake Elsinore, but others still remained under evacuation orders.

The man accused of deliberately starting the fire appeared in court on Friday, but his arraignment was postponed.

Forrest Clark, 51, made several outbursts, claiming his life was being threatened and saying the arson charge against him was a lie. A court commissioner ordered his bail to remain at $1 million.

The Holy Fire was one of nearly 20 blazes across California, which is seeing earlier, longer and more destructive wildfire seasons because of drought, warmer weather attributed to climate change and home construction deeper into forests.

The largest fire ever recorded in California, the Mendocino Complex, is burning north of Sacramento and has destroyed 119 homes but none in recent days. The fire had reached 508 square miles and was 67 percent contained by Saturday.

The 2-week-old Carr Fire that killed eight people and burned more than 1,000 homes was 55 percent contained.

John Locher / Associated Press Tariffs hurt victims Rick Kincaid looks at a childhood toy that his wife found in the charred remains of their home in Redding, Calif. Theirs was one of more than 1,000 homes destroyed in the Carr Fire.