A wildfire in the United States stoked by the first Santa Ana winds of the season has spread over 8,500 acres (3,440 hectares) in the hot and tinder-dry Southern California hills of Ventura County, according to AP. Calmer winds late Tuesday aided firefighters battling the blaze near the city of Moorpark northwest of Los Angeles, but winds were expected to pick up early Wednesday, with 12-25 mph (20-40 kph) gusts expected. The blaze was 10 percent contained late Tuesday, county fire spokesman Bill Nash said. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Tuesday for the county, freeing up state resources to battle the fire. An unknown number of evacuations were lifted late Tuesday in two neighborhoods, but numerous homes remained threatened and evacuation orders remain in effect, Nash said. Air tankers including a DC-10 jumbo jet and big helitankers bombarded the flames with retardant and water, while hundreds of firefighters worked on the ground. Three minor injuries to firefighters were reported. City spokesman Hugh Riley said the water district authorized avocado growers to turn on irrigation sprinklers in their orchards. The forecast Wednesday called for more scorching temperatures, low humidity and weak to moderate Santa Ana winds, which blow from the northeast, speeding up and warming as they descend through mountain passes and canyons and push seaward. The air is extremely dry, lowering humidity levels and making brush easier to burn. Elsewhere in Southern California, a wildfire that broke out Tuesday in Riverside County, 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, burned 160 acres (65 hectares) and was about 60 percent contained. No homes had been lost. Another fire in neighboring San Bernardino County burned 17 acres (about seven hectares) and damaged three unidentified structures. It was fully contained Tuesday evening and was expected to be controlled Wednesday morning. The Santa Anas also whipped up clouds of ash north and east of Los Angeles in the vast area of the San Gabriel Mountains burned over by a gigantic wildfire that continues to smolder a month after it began. The winds caused some increased fire activity on ridgetops in the San Gabriels, but the haze was from blowing ash, not smoke columns, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhills said. The fire burned across more than 160,000 acres (about 65,000 hectares) of Angeles National Forest after it was ignited by arson Aug. 26. At its peak it destroyed 89 homes and caused two firefighter deaths. The fire remained 94 percent surrounded Tuesday, and fire commanders again pushed back the projected date for full containment, this time from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning, because of the weather. The weather service also issued «red flag» warnings of fire weather conditions in other parts of California due to a combination of low humidity, high temperatures and wind. Those areas included the hills east of San Francisco Bay and mountains to the north, the northern Sierra and northern Sacramento Valley and a large swath of the state farther north. A 300-acre (120-hectare) wildfire burning in a heavily wooded area of Sonoma County near Geyserville was expected to be contained Wednesday morning.
