As Calif. wildfires dim, new blazes popping up

SANTA ROSA, CALIF. — As crews gained on the wildfires in California wine country, new blazes broke out in other parts of the state, including a fire in the mountains above Los Angeles that threatened a historic observatory Tuesday and more flames in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Firefighters on the ground and in the air raced to protect the Mount Wilson Observatory and nearby communications towers from a growing brush fire northeast of LA. The blaze was initially estimated at around 5 acres (2 hectares). The observatory, which has been evacuated, opened in 1917 and houses the 100inch Hooker Telescope, one of the most advanced telescopes of the first half of the 20th century.

Farther north, a fire that sprang up late Monday in the mountains of the southern Bay Area blackened at least 150 acres and threatened 150 homes, which prompted evacuation orders. Smoke was descending into the coastal beach town of Santa Cruz.

Winds remained light, but conditions were also dry. Crews dropped water on the blaze, which started as a structure fire of some kind.

Five firefighters suffered minor injuries, including one who slipped down a ravine.

In the state’s wine-making region, people began drifting back to their neighborhoods. Some returned to find their homes gone. The deadliest wildfires in California history have been burning for more than a week, killing at least 41 people and destroying nearly 6,000 homes.