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 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) Oct 13, 2019
Wildfires raging across southern California showed signs of slowing Sunday, as firefighters contained nearly half of the biggest blaze. A fire that had burned rapidly through the San Fernando Valley in greater Los Angeles was the strongest of several across southern California. By early Sunday morning, the Saddleridge fire was about 41 percent contained, fire officials said, adding it had consumed 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles. Evacuation orders were lifted Saturday after 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds over the weekend improved the outlook, and residents were allowed to return. One man in his 50s died of a heart attack as he struggled to save his home, fire officials said. The fire broke out Thursday night and quickly grew out of control in the city of Sylmar, driven by low humidity and gusts known as the Santa Ana winds. About 1,000 firefighters, backed by water-dropping helicopters and planes releasing fire retardants, fought the blaze that forced the shutdown of several major highways. The metro line in the area was also closed, as were schools and businesses. The blaze destroyed 76 homes and buildings, and killed an 89-year-old woman who was unable to escape the flames. The wildfires in southern California erupted as the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), implemented rolling power blackouts that affected some two million people in the north. The shutoffs were designed to reduce the threat of wildfire that can be sparked by lines downed in heavy winds.
Firefighters curb southern California blazes A fire that had burned rapidly through the San Fernando Valley in greater Los Angeles was the strongest of several across southern California. By Saturday, it had consumed 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles, fire officials said, adding that the blaze was about 33 percent contained. All residents were allowed to return to their homes on Saturday as cooler temperatures and lighter winds improved the outlook. "We are prepared for any flare-ups as they occur," Los Angeles fire captain Branden Silverman told local media. One man in his 50s died of a heart attack as he struggled to save his home, fire officials said. - Highways closed - Part of Los Angeles County was blanketed with smoke from the fire, prompting an advisory from air quality officials about unhealthy conditions. The fire broke out Thursday night and quickly grew out of control in the city of Sylmar, driven by low humidity and gusts known as the Santa Ana winds. About 1,000 firefighters, backed by water-dropping helicopters and planes releasing fire retardants, fought the blaze that forced the shutdown of several major highways. The metro line in the area was also closed as were schools and businesses. Some 200 firefighters battled several other blazes in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, including one that tore through a trailer park and was started by burning trash. That blaze destroyed 76 homes and buildings and killed an 89-year-old woman who was unable to escape the flames. Authorities ordered the evacuation of several hundred homes in the area. The wildfires in the south of California erupted as the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), implemented rolling power blackouts that affected some two million people in northern California. The shutoffs were designed to reduce the threat of wildfire that can be sparked by lines downed in heavy winds. Last November, PG&E's faulty power lines were determined to have sparked the deadliest wildfire in the state's modern history, which killed 86 and destroyed the town of Paradise.
California turns off power to millions to prevent wildfires Los Angeles (AFP) Oct 9, 2019 Rolling blackouts set to affect millions of Californians began Wednesday as a utility company started switching off power to an unprecedented number of households in the face of hot, windy weather that raises the risk of wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric, which announced the deliberate outage, is working to prevent a repeat of a catastrophe last November in which faulty power lines it owned were determined to have sparked California's deadliest wildfire in modern history. California governor Gav ... read more
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