Crews begin to gain the upper hand over wildfires
FIREFIGHTERS have made significant progress in a bid to control a wildfire that threatens homes after raging for days south of Los Angeles.
Aircraft have been making flight after flight, dumping water and fire retardant to protect Lake Elsinore and other foothill communities as the blaze sweeps through the Cleveland National Forest.
The Holy Fire – named after Holy Jim Canyon, where it began on Monday – had grown to 33 square miles by Saturday but firefighters made progress, with containment up from 10 per cent to 29%.
High temperatures and dry grass and brush have made it difficult for firefighters to get a grip of the blaze.
Some hillsides were being allowed to burn under the watchful eye of firefighters as a way to reduce its fuel and make it harder for flames to jump roads into communities if winds pick up again.
Although the fire burned a dozen forest cabins at its outset, only one home was lost on Thursday as fire crews fended off flames after they came right up to yards of homes.
On Saturday, officials allowed some residents to return to their homes in Lake Elsinore, but others remained under evacuation orders.
The man accused of 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.
The Holy Fire was one of nearly 20 blazes in California, which is seeing earlier, longer and more destructive wildfires due to drought, warmer weather attributed to climate change and home building deeper in forests.
A fire that broke out near the communities of Fairfield and Vacaville had destroyed a home and two other structures, according to the Vacaville Fire Department.
A firefighter suffered a minor injury battling the blaze, which grew to about 2.6sq miles and was 70% contained by Saturday afternoon.
The largest fire ever recorded in California, the Mendocino Complex, is still burning north of Sacramento after consuming 508sq miles.
The two-week-old Carr Fire that killed eight people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes was 55% contained.