LA Crown Fire Still Raging
From the Los Angeles Times: Firefighters hope for light winds and cooler temperatures
Firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand Saturday in a battle against a wildfire that has burned almost 14,000 acres in northern L.A. County.
Cooler overnight temperatures and milder winds helped firefighters get 62% containment around the Crown fire in the western Palmdale and Leona Valley areas.
Some 1,320 firefighters are battling the blaze along with 10 helicopters and a DC-10 air tanker.
There have been four dwellings destroyed, along with five outbuildings. Also, there have been three minor injuries to firefighters, including a bee sting.
The fire threatens the major electrical transmission lines which provide power to a major portion of LA. The LA power system is a terrible design, with minimal redundancy and almost non-existent maintenance since the “deregulation” that helped to fuel the growth of Enron.
The winds are forecast to pick up in the afternoon, so the 62% containment is subject to change in the wrong direction.
