Weather helps out firefighters across the West

Progress being made against Jerusalem fire

Sunday ushered in calmer weather across the West, aiding firefighters who worked to contain flames fed by drought conditions and whipped up by wind and heat.

Firefighters across the Pacific Northwest are working to protect property from fast-moving wildfires that destroyed multiple homes in eastern Oregon, cut off power in Washington and forced thousands of evacuations throughout the region.

In Northern California, firefighters made more gains against the Jerusalem fire that forced mountaintown dwellers to evacuate for the second time in days. Wind shifts sent smoke from the fire all the way to the Bay Area for the second day on Sunday.

Two fires have charred dry Lower Lake, the most recent burning 39 square miles of thick brush and oak trees in Lake and Napa counties. It was 82 percent contained by Sunday.

The Ruby fire, an earlier, larger fire in the same area ,was fully contained Friday more than two weeks after it broke out. The blaze destroyed 43 homes.

Light winds helped crews increase containment of a wildfire that destroyed several cabins and charred nearly 2 -and-ahalf square miles of forest near Los Angeles.

Officials revised the size of the fire downward after previous estimates put it at nearly 4 square miles.

The blaze in the Angeles National Forest above the suburbs of Glendora and Azusa was 20 percent contained and holding steady Sunday.

A half dozen campgrounds remained evacuated around the fire that burned four cabins and an outbuilding when it broke out on Friday.

Firefighters clambered along rocky ridges in tripledigit temperatures. Ten were treated for heat exhaustion, dehydration and minor injuries.

Meanwhile, crews were mopping up a 189-acre fire that erupted Friday in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. The blaze, which burned on rolling hills close to subdivisions containing 500 homes, was contained Saturday without any building damage.

Awildfire in Castaic that broke out on Sunday has burned at least six structures and 100 acres.

Fire officials say the fire was sparked Sunday afternoon near Lake Castaic.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Allen told KABC-TV the fire damaged several structures at a former rehabilitation center before marching into the Angeles National Forest.

Meanwhile, firefighters are battling a brush fire that began near a riverbed in Montebello and burned about 20 acres of brush.

The Los Angeles Times reports the flames came near an oil field, prompting authorities to halt operations at the site.

One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion while battling the blaze.

In Washington, officials are hoping calmer weather will aid fire crews using air tankers, helicopters and bulldozers to attack several large fires burning in the Chelan area in central Washington that have destroyed more than 50 structures.

Fire incident spokesman Wayne Patterson said Sunday that more fire crews, including from the Washington National Guard, are being mobilized to fight six fires burning in the area.