Firefighters gaining control over devastating wildfire near Los Angeles

9/11/2024 13:13

        Firefighters started gaining control on Friday over a stubborn wildfire near Los Angeles that destroyed at least 132 buildings and damaged 88 others, as many of the more than 10,000 people forced to evacuate were able to return home.
        
        Some 2,400 firefighters were aided by more favorable winds coming from the Pacific Ocean after previously hot and dry winds coming from the desert fanned the so-called Mountain Fire, which broke out on Wednesday about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
        
        The fire had consumed 20,630 acres by Friday, virtually unchanged from 24 hours earlier, and was 14% contained, up from 7%, Cal Fire officials told a press conference.
        
        "We had no external or lateral movement today. That is fantastic," Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner told a news briefing.
        
        Residents of 3,500 homes were able to return home but another 2,000 homes remained under evacuation orders.