Firefighters contain more of deadly Los Angeles wildfire

This post was originally published on this site

https://i-invdn-com.akamaized.net/trkd-images/LYNXMPEF9C0JL_L.jpg
© Reuters. Firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire called the Saddle Ridge fire in the early morning hours Friday in Porter Ranch© Reuters. Firefighters battle a wind-driven wildfire called the Saddle Ridge fire in the early morning hours Friday in Porter Ranch

(Reuters) – Firefighters gained further control of a deadly wildfire on the northern edge of Los Angeles that has forced thousands from their homes, officials reported on Sunday, as the warm and dry Santa Ana winds that fueled the blaze were expected to subside.

State fire officials reported the so-called Saddleridge Fire was 41% contained, up from 19% contained on Saturday, when authorities ended the last remaining evacuation order. Some 23,000 people had been cleared from their homes in previous days, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The fire that began on Thursday had scorched nearly 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares) as of Sunday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) reported.

Santa Ana winds brought dry desert air into the Los Angeles basin, whipping up a fire blamed for the death of a Los Angeles man. Officials said he suffered a heart attack while trying to fight encroaching flames on his property instead of evacuating.

Forecasters expected winds to change direction and bring a cooler ocean breeze to the area, but smoke still lingered over much of Los Angeles, leading the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue a smoke warning that remained in effect on Sunday.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Fire officials said they were investigating witness reports in local media linking the fire to a power transmission line.

The Saddleridge is the largest among a spate of wildfires across California that burned nearly 160,000 acres (64,000 hectares) and destroyed 134 structures, CalFire said, including homes in Los Angeles.

Disclaimer: Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. All CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are not provided by exchanges but rather by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual market price, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Therefore Fusion Media doesn`t bear any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this data.

Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.