Firefighters took advantage of dying winds today to strengthen fire lines around devastating brush fires which blackened more than 50,000 acres of tinder-dry Southern California slopes and damaged or destroyed more than 500 homes.
Only one major fire, the Panorama blaze, the most destructive of eight separate fires which swept across Southern California this week, was still considered a threat. Other blazes were either burning into uninhabited areas or were at least partly contained.
Forest Service spokeswoman Nancy Curriden said the Panorama fire, which burned 13,000 acres and destroyed at least 268 homes, was 25 percent contained at dawn today but was still burning on two fronts -- at the east and west ends.
Firefighters backfired the blaze from California 18 -- the Rim of the World Drive -- Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to keep the flames from jumping across the road which runs along the crest of the San Bernardino mountains. No structures were immediately threatened along the fire front.
At the west end of the fire, the flames jumped Interstate 15E Tuesday afternoon, forcing evacuation of homes in Devore Heights.
Residents had not returned to their homes early today, but the fire was burning north, up Cable Canyon toward an uninhabited area.
'If it continues burning north, it should miss most recreationl structures,' Miss Curriden said.
She said winds, which earlier gusted to 100 mph, had died down except in Cajon Canyon northwest of San Bernardino.
'Winds are always kind of freaky in Cajon Canyon,' she said.
The 4,000-acre Summit fire north of Rancho Cucamonga was 50 percent contained early today and was not threatening any structures, and the Sycamore fire north of Highland was 60 percent contained after burning about 3,000 acres.
'Things are looking OK for now,' Miss Curriden said.
Slackening winds gave the 4,000 firefightes hope they might get the upper hand on all the blazes by this afternoon.
Forest Service Spokeswoman Nancy Curriden said the Panorama Fire, which burned 13,000 acres and destroyed at least 268 homes, was 25 percent contained at dawn today but was still burning on two fronts -- at the east and west ends.
Firefighters backfired the blaze from California 18 -- the Rim of the World Drive -- Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to keep the flames from jumping across the road which runs along the crest of the San Bernardino mountains. No structures were immediately threatened along the fire front.
At the west end of the fire, the flames jumped Interstate 15E Tuesday afternoon, forcing evacuation of homes in Devore Heights.
Residents had not returned to their homes early today but the fire was burning north up Cable Canyon toward an uninhabited area.
'If it continues burning north, it should miss most recreationl structures,' Miss Curriden said.
She said winds, which earlier gusted to 100 mph, had died down except in Cajon Canyon northwest of San Bernardino.
'Winds are always kind of freaky in Cajon Canyon,' she sid.
The 4,000-acre Summit Fire north of Rancho Cucamonga was 50 percent contained early today and was not threatening any structures and the Sycamore fire north of Highland was 60 percent contained after burning about 3,000 acres.
'Things are looking OK for now,' Miss Curriden said.
Slackening winds gave the 4,000 firefightes hope they might get the upper hand on all the blazes by this afternoon.
'The winds have died down and we have been able to hold the fires,' said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Charles Coval. There were no estimates on when the fires would be controlled.
Four people, including an elderly couple, died Tuesday in the swift-moving flames that forced more than 15,000 residents to flee -- many with only the clothes on their backs.
Thousands who had left their homes in terror Monday returned Tuesday to incinerated neighborhoods that resembled a scorched war zone. In some cases, looters had already picked through the charred rubble for valuables that didn't melt or go up in smoke.
Specially trained Air National Guardsmen from Wyoming were called in to join California and Texas units in battling flames in the San Bernardino National Forest. By afternoon, four C-130 air transports and 22 Guardsmen from Cheyenne, Wyo., were flying missions, dropping thousands of gallons of retardant over the fire.
The most destructive blaze, the 12,800-acre arson-caused Waterman blaze, was blamed for an estimated $29.5 million in damages -- $25 million in property losses and $4.5 million in watershed damage.
At least 268 structures were destroyed and 66 were listed as damaged in the foothills above San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
Acting Gov. Mike Curb declared the fire-stricken regions of San Bernardino County disaster areas, opening the way for formal requests for federal aid and loans.
Fire officials said late Tuesday the fire 'has been quiet' and that the blaze was 10 percent contained.
Earlier, an elderly couple, Earl Welty, 83, and his wife, Edith, 82, were caught in the firestorm. The couple's charred bodies were found in their front yard. The old man was clutching his dead puppy in his arms.
Another victim, Joseph Benjamin, 54, collapsed while helping neighbors water down home his home and he later died. Rosa Myers, 64, suffered a fatal heart attack while being evacuated from her home, which was not destroyed.
At least 65 people, most of them firefighters, were treated for minor eye injuries and the effects of the choking, black smoke.
Eight looters were arrested Monday night and troops were ordered in to patrol burned out neighborhoods.
The Mount Baldy fire, caused by an abandoned campfire and the biggest blaze at 14,500 acres, destroyed 12 vacation cabins and was still raging out of control this morning in heavy timber.
A 4,000-acre blaze, set by an arsonist about 10 miles southwest of Waterman Canyon, briefly threatened the community of Rancho Cucamonga. One home was destroyed and the 25,000 residents were told to prepare to evacuate.
Another 3,000-acre blaze, started by a downed power line about 6 miles east of the Waterman fire, was reported 60 percent contained early today.
In San Diego County, a 700-acre blaze erupted Tuesday afternoon along Interstate 15 in the Poway area. No structures were immediately threatened.
The Trabuco fire, burning 7 miles north of Lake Elsinore, destroyed four homes and was raging out of control early today after scorching 8,000 acres. Another 7,000-acre blaze near Lake Elsinore was also unchecked.
In Los Angeles County, a 2,600-acre blaze in Malibu Canyon was reported 95 percent contained late Tuesday.
