Crews work hard to hold Calif. wildfire's eastern edge
Pastor Dale Morgan
Crews work hard to hold Calif. wildfire's eastern edge*
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER,
Associated Press Writer AP - Monday, September 7
LOS ANGELES - As firefighters on Sunday took on the still-flaring
eastern flank of a giant, arson-sparked wildfire north of Los Angeles,
those examining the damage in calmer areas discovered two more destroyed
homes, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman said.
The fire, which started Aug. 26, has killed two firefighters, blackened
nearly 246 square miles of the Angeles National Forest and destroyed at
least 78 homes and a pair of commercial buildings, fire spokesman Ian
MacDonald said. Details were not immediately available on the newly
discovered damage.
Fire agencies so far have spent nearly $50 million fighting the blaze,
which was 51 percent contained.
Authorities on Sunday were trying to determine who set the deadly fire.
At least a dozen investigators were working to analyze clues found at a
burnt hillside near Angeles Crest Highway where the fire started. But
officials, who say the cause of the fire was arson, were hesitant to
release any of their findings to the media.
Crews built new protective lines near Highway 39 in the San Gabriel
Wilderness, the Forest Service said in a news release.
Fire crews planned to light backfires in the area Sunday night and
Monday morning to help destroy fuels if the weather is not too hot and
dry, and officials told residents not to be alarmed if they see fresh
plumes of smoke.
The fire was a potential threat to some 5,000 homes and commercial
buildings in Monrovia and other foothill communities, but none were in
immediate danger.
The weekend weather forecast called for cooler temperatures and slightly
higher humidity that could help firefighters further surround the blaze.
Because of the reduced heat, hundreds of firefighters assigned to
protect structures were dismissed. About 4,600 remained.
Los Angeles County firefighters Tedmund Hall and Arnaldo Quinones were
killed Aug. 30 while seeking an escape route for their inmate fire crew
after flames overran their camp on Mount Gleason. The two died when
their truck plunged 800 feet off a steep mountain road.