Fire officials in Southern California declared two wildfires contained Sunday, as cool weather and low wind provided more help to their operations.

The devastating Santiago fire in Orange County was declared 50 percent contained, up from 40 percent Saturday, The Los Angeles Times reported.

"We're making very good headway," Capt. Phil Rawlings of Cal Fire told the Times. "We're cautiously optimistic. We've had pretty good fire weather with a cooling trend. We've noticed the last few days that the containment percentage has been rising due to the desirable weather."

The San Diego Chargers played football in Qualcomm Stadium, which had sheltered thousands of evacuees until just a few days ago. The Chargers beat Houston, 35-10.

The fires destroyed around 2,000 homes in the region and took at least seven lives. More deaths were caused indirectly by the fires.

Forecasters predicted the hot Santa Ana winds that fueled the fire might return by week's end but would be weaker than those that tore through the region last week.

Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned against price-gouging and looting.

"If anyone tries to exploit this tragedy, I will make sure you will pay for it for the rest of your life," he said.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 29 October 2007   

Source:

Archive