LOS ANGELES, July 30 (UPI) -- Residents were racing to their cars and fleeing as a wildfire advanced toward a neighborhood in Palmdale, Calif., authorities said.
Firefighters appeared to be making progress late Friday in fighting the Crown fire, which started Thursday, and has burned more than 13,000 acres and destroyed several structures, the Los Angeles Times reported. Water-dropping helicopters were being used in the battle to keep the flames from entering the Rancho Vista subdivision as the fire jumped the California Aqueduct north of Los Angeles.
The fire threatened power lines, causing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to ask residents to reduce their energy usage wherever possible.
"We're asking people to help care for our infrastructure while this fire is burning, as we wait for the potential threat to diminish," Brooks Baker, a spokesman for the agency, said.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the area Friday and then told reporters the fire had been 20 percent contained, the Times said.
"Even though we have a budget crunch, everyone should be assured that we have money available for fighting these fires," Schwarzenegger said. "Public safety is our No. 1 priority."
About 1,700 firefighters were working on the fire lines. Investigators haven't determined the cause of any of the blazes, the Times reported
