Reuters AlertNet Lite - Firefighters gain on California island wildfire

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Firefighters gain on California island wildfire

12 May 2007 18:03:57 GMT
Source: Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 (Reuters) - Evacuated residents of California's Santa Catalina Island began returning to their homes on Saturday after firefighters said they were gaining control over the blaze, which has consumed more than 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares).

"We have 41 percent containment," Capt. Andrew Olvera of the Los Angeles County Fire Department told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"The weather is in our favor, with 40 percent-plus relative humidity and low wind speeds so everything is looking pretty good," Olvera said.

The fire burned about 4,200 acres (1,700 hectares) on the resort island and destroyed one home and six nonresidential buildings, Olvera said.

No serious injuries were reported from the blaze, which remains under investigation. Contractors working at a radio station may have started the fire accidentally, Olvera said.

Dry weather and gusting winds spread the fire quickly, overwhelming Santa Catalina Island's small fire department, menacing the quaint beach town of Avalon and forcing about 3,200 people, mostly tourists, to evacuate by boat, Olvera said.

Hundreds of firefighters from the mainland were sent to combat the blaze. They were rushed to the island 22 miles (35 km) off the coast of Los Angeles by helicopters, boats and military hovercraft.

The fire on Santa Catalina Island flared just as firefighters had gained control of a brush fire that raged for two days in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, blackening more than 800 acres (324 hectares) of the landmark and forcing residents of a wealthy Hollywood Hills neighborhood to flee.

Fire departments across Southern California are bracing for a potentially difficult wildfire season because of bone-dry weather this year.

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Last updated:Sat May 12 18:05:20 2007