Fire Crews Revise Containment Estimate
Updated 2:47 PM PDT, Thu, Jan 7, 2010
Fire officials Sunday revised their estimated containment date for the largest wildfire in Los Angeles history, pushing it back four days to next Friday.
A fire spokesman said the large number of hot spots identified by twice-daily helicopter flights with infrared cameras around the 120-mile containment line prompted the change.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves," said Glendale Fire Department Capt. Carlos Guerrero.
Fire containment lines were still estimated to encircle about 84 percent of the blaze's perimeter today, and Guerrero said crews were being directed to specific smoldering areas inside the fire lines based on the aerial photographs highlighting areas of intense heat.
California Highway Patrol officers reported seeing small plumes of new smoke Sunday near where the fire started, along Angeles Crest Highway north of La Canada Flintridge.
Officials had earlier hoped to declare 100 percent containment on the three-week-old blaze as early as Tuesday.
Crews have been reduced by nearly half over the weekend, with about 1,519 firefighters remaining on the line.
Since the arson fire broke out near a Forest Service ranger station Aug. 26, it has scorched 160,557 acres, making it the largest fire in Los Angeles County history and tenth-largest fire in California since 1933.
The fire also claimed the lives of two firefighters whose truck plunged off a mountain road. A public memorial was held at Dodger Stadium Saturday for the two victims. Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined thousands of firefighters in honoring Capt. Tedmund ``Ted'' Hall, 47, of San Bernardino County, and firefighter Specialist Arnaldo ``Arnie'' Quinones, 35, of Palmdale.
First Published: Sep 13, 2009 12:35 PM PDT
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