Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
Firefighters worry winds could fan Calif. blazes
Burbank fire nearly 70-percent contained but forecast calls for hot gusts
 | FREE VIDEO |
 |
Heeding deadly lessons Oct. 1: Painful lessons learned in past wildfires are making a dramatic difference for firefighters battling a sprawling blaze in Southern California. NBC’s George Lewis reports. Nightly News |
 | Video: California wildfires |
 Nightly News Firefighters learn from Katrina Sept. 30: Quick response helped firefighters gain ground against a 20,000-acre wildfire near Los Angeles, allowing hundreds of people to return home. NBC’s George Lewis reports. |
 | Slide show |
 | A heated struggle Residents flee and firefighters race to contain a growing wildfire that has scorched thousands of acres in Southern California. |
| Video: Life |
 In living color: 'Forgotten war' photos unearthed July 25: As a war correspondent in the early years of television, NBC's John Rich showed images of the Korean war to the world. In this week's Making A Difference series, Rich shares the pictures again — this time, in color. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports. |
Stand and be counted |
What keeps you up at night? Gut Check America wants you to tell us what really matters to our country. Click here to learn more and get involved. |
LOS ANGELES - Firefighters gained ground Sunday against three wildfires burning across Southern California but worried about a forecast for hot winds.
A 1,045-acre fire in Burbank was 67 percent contained after firefighters were aided by cooler, overnight breezes, said Capt. Ron Bell of the Burbank Fire Department.
Residents returned to about 70 evacuated homes in Sunset Canyon. But firefighters were concerned about a forecast for warmer winds that could bring 50 mph gusts and re-ignite what appeared to be a “cold mountain,” Bell said.
“A little wind could blow those embers into the green and then we’d be starting from scratch,” Bell said. “Things look excellent today, and we will be very aggressive. But the wind event is our biggest ’what if’ right now.”
Crews were kept at the scene a little longer and positioned near homes that could be threatened if the winds kicked up.
Elsewhere, more than 1,000 emergency personnel battled a blaze in steep, rugged terrain in and around San Bernardino National Forest, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
The 935-acre fire was 60 percent contained Sunday but had the potential to flare up in windy conditions because of dead trees and grass in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Click for related content |
About 1,200 people were evacuated from several small communities on Friday. Some residents were allowed to return late Saturday, but mandatory evacuations remained Sunday for Seven Oaks, Barton Flats and Angelus Oaks.
A wildfire that torched more than 24,000 acres on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties was 65 percent contained and cooler weather helped firefighters as they tried to extinguish hot spots, said Mike Horst, a Ventura County fire dispatcher.
All evacuation orders and road closures were lifted on the Topanga Fire, which raged much of last week.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
- Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM LIFE |
 Life Section Front |
| Add Life headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links
Resource guide