Firefighters have doubled containment of a massive wildfire north of Los Angeles, California, to 40 percent, as cool, moist air moved in to replace torrid weather, authorities said Monday. U.S. Forest Spokesman Matt Correlli said that the fire had grown, but the weather conditions early Monday gave crews the opportunity to make major gains. Firefighters were able stop the progress of the fire's northeastern front, which had been moving into unoccupied desert lands north of Angeles National Forest. Crews remained in place to protect structures in the rural hamlets of Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth, but flames were moving away from residential areas. The blaze has burned roughly 119 square kilometers in mountain and canyon areas, destroying at least six houses and damaging 15 more.
