More California wildfire progress reported

BIG SUR, Calif., June 28 (UPI) -- President Bush George W. Saturday declared a state of emergency in seven Northern California counties where wildfires continue to burn.

The disaster declaration allows the state to get help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The federal government will also provide firefighting equipment, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Officials said the spread of the fires has slowed or stopped Saturday because of the weather.

"You know our lives are ruled by the weather and, thankfully, we are predicting very light winds and we have a thick marine layer," said Tina Rose, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

More than 1,200 fires have been reported in the state, most of them started by lightning last weekend.

The Big Sur fire has been diverted from the town's famous resort area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. That 27,000-acre blaze was steered away from populated areas, sparing the town's famed Henry Miller library and several other well-known businesses and dwellings. About 16 area homes, however, were destroyed.

State officials said scenic Highway 1 was closed in the area.

A Buddhist monastery near Big Sur, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, was threatened after flames jumped a fire line, the Times reported.