Firefighters tighten grip on California blaze as heatwave looms

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Firefighters took advantage of cool weather and calm winds to tighten their grip on wildfires in California as the prospect of a forecast heatwave loomed over the region on Tuesday.

A total of 323 fires remained active, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection figures on Tuesday, with more than 630,000 acres (255,000 hectares) scorched since the firestorm erupted on June 20.

Around 18,400 personnel are deployed across the state, with fires near Santa Barbara, 103 miles (165 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, and Big Sur, 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of San Francisco, commanding most attention.

With a lull in temperatures and winds, firefighters have been able to make significant inroads into the two fires that...