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A vehicle travels past a wall of fire in California - Source: Reuters -
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A massive wildfire roaring through mountains north of Los
Angeles forced some fire fighters to retreat as the toll of
engulfed homes rose sharply and flames menaced Mount Wilson, a
broadcasting hub and site of a historic observatory.
Fire officials said at least 71 dwellings had been destroyed since
the blaze erupted last Wednesday - 53 clustered in the foothill
community of La Crescenta on the northern fringe of suburban Los
Angeles and 18 others first reported as lost on Sunday.
As of Monday evening, a total of 6,300 homes throughout the fire
zone were under evacuation orders, authorities said.
The so-called Station Fire more than doubled in size as it burned
out of control for a sixth day, charring 42,500 hectares, up from
17,000 hectares late on Sunday, and sending up towering palls of
smoke that fouled the air for km around.
Two fire fighters died on Sunday when they were overrun by flames
in the Angeles National Forest and rugged San Gabriel
Mountains.
Nearly 2,600 fire fighting personnel, some from as far away as
Montana and Wyoming, were battling the blaze.
With no forecast for an immediate break in the triple-digit
temperatures and very low humidity that has helped energize the
fire, officials pushed back their projected date for full
containment of the blaze by one week to September 15.
"This is a very angry fire that we're fighting right now," Fire
Commander Mike Dietrich told a news conference. "Until we get a
change in the weather, I'm not overly optimistic."
Battle for mountaintop
Fire crews fought to protect the slopes around the 1,740-metre peak
of Mount Wilson, home to 50 buildings plus a famous array of
telescopes and a critical cluster of transmission towers for
broadcasters.
After dousing the area in fire retardant and labouring to clear
brush away from structures on the site, they fell back early on
Monday to avoid flames expected to sweep the summit.
"They've done everything they can do and it's unsafe for them to be
there when the fire hits," Los Angeles County Fire Captain Mark
Whaling said.
Elsewhere in the forest, 65 fire fighters retreated from a wall of
flames advancing on their positions, he said.
Rescue teams were standing by to save five people who became
trapped in the forest after they disregarded evacuation orders,
authorities said.
The fire threat eased in some foothill communities that were
menaced over the weekend.
Other neighbourhoods were now at risk, including about 300 homes
on the southwest flank of the blaze just inside Los Angeles city
limits.
At the end of one cul de sac in the community of Tujunga, residents
stood outside their homes, their cars and trucks packed with
belongings and pointed out of their driveways, nervously eyeing
smoke billowing from over the steep hillsides that flanked their
neighbourhood.
Police in patrol cars cruised up and down the streets, urging
residents to leave.
"If flames start coming down (the hills), we're out," said Jodi
Befu, 49.
"Waiting is the hardest part," said David Jones, 44. "I'm all
packed. I've had my wife and my baby in a hotel for the last two
nights." He insisted everyone in the neighbourhood would go if the
flames drew much closer.
"Nobody here is going to be a hero," he said.
The first day of classes for two school districts were cancelled
due to heavy smoke, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power asked customers to curb electric use in case of potential
fire damage to a pair of 500-kilovolt transmission lines northeast
of the town of Acton.
The blaze was being fuelled by dense, tinder-dry vegetation that
had not burned in decades.
So far, the Santa Ana winds that fanned many of Southern
California's worst wildfires in recent years were absent.
Three civilians were reported injured over the weekend, including
two who defied evacuation orders and sought shelter in a hot tub
when the flames arrived.
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