Fire burns 750 acres north of L.A.
10/12/2008LOS ANGELES Firefighters backed by water-dumping helicopters and planes gained ground Sunday on a wildfire that destroyed two homes and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people in a rugged area 20 miles north of downtown.
Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said the blaze charred up to 750 acres and also burned a garage, several sheds, and three motor homes. No one was seriously injured. A firefighter and one resident reported minor breathing problems.
Mr. Haralson said firefighters are getting a really good handle on the blaze that started early Sunday. But powerful Santa Ana winds are expected, and gusts could spread embers igniting brush, grass, and chaparral in the area.
About 450 homes were evacuated early Sunday when the blaze moved southeast toward city limits, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea.
Elsewhere in California, firefighters halted the spread of a wildfire that burned about 300 acres of heavy brush, destroyed a home and threatened several wineries in Napa Valley.
More than 1,500 firefighters were called in to work the blaze, which state fire officials said was fully contained by Sunday morning.