Firefighters get a break

2008-07-06 16:40

Los Angeles - Firefighters got a gift of a mild, mostly windless night and a forecast for similar conditions on Sunday as they attempted to protect thousands of homes from a huge wildfire with their energy and resources taxed by more than 300 blazes still burning around the state.

"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He'd visited a command post in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2 700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest.

Fires have burned more than 2 800km² of land and destroyed at least 69 homes throughout California in the past two weeks.

One firefighter died of a heart attack while digging fire lines.

About 1 400 fires have been contained, but more than 330 were still burned out of control by Sunday morning.

No 'sun-downer' wind

The Santa Barbara County fire, now the state's top priority, was less active on Saturday because of cooler, moist air, county spokesperson Pat Wheatley said.

And evening fell without the return of the late afternoon "sun-downer" wind that had sent flames racing up to homes earlier in the week.

The fire was 28% contained, she said.

More than 2 600 homes were under mandatory evacuation on Saturday and people in another 1 400 were warned to be ready to flee if the flames gathered speed.

Investigators think the fire, which began on Tuesday, was not caused by nature.

The US forest service on Saturday asked for public help in determining who set it and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.

- AP