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Firefighters Gain on Wildfire in Southern California Farm Country

Reuters

   LOS ANGELES - Firefighters began to get theupper hand on a destructive
   wildfire in a Southern Californiafarming region Saturday, taking
   advantage of lighter winds asauthorities let some evacuated residents
   return home.

   The Maria Fire erupted Thursday near Santa Paula, about 70 miles (110
   km) northwest of downtown LosAngeles, and it has since charred 9,400
   acres (3,800 hectares)of dry brush and chaparral, officials said.

   Firefighters have scrambled to protect tens of millions ofdollars'
   worthof citrus and avocado crops in harm's way, as wellas oil industry
   infrastructure.

   The blaze, which was 20% contained Saturday, is the mostpressing
   emergency facing California firefighters, with severalother blazes in
   the state largely contained.

   More than 10,000 people were under evacuation orders at theheight of
   the blaze.

   Evacuation orders lifted

   But authorities allowed people in two residential areas toreturn home
   Saturday and they had plans to further liftevacuation orders, said
   Ventura County Fire Captain BrianMcGrath.

   "We're taking advantage of the good weather we have rightnow," McGrath
   said by phone.

   The fire has destroyed three structures but has not caused anyinjuries,
   he said.

   Southern California Edison has told state authorities that13 minutes
   before the fire started, it began to re-energize acircuit near where
   flames first erupted, said a spokesman forthe utility, Ron Gales.

   Southern California Edison had shut off power in the areabecause of
   concerns that an electrical mishap could spark awildfire. The utility
   and fire officials have said the cause ofthe blaze is still under
   investigation.

   Dry winds, but they're weak

   On Friday evening, moist breezes from the Pacific Oceanaided
   firefighters battling the Maria Fire.By Saturday morning conditions
   were dry again, althoughwinds were relatively weak, said National
   Weather Servicemeteorologist Lisa Phillips.

   The Maria Fire erupted after fierce Santa Ana desert gustshowled across
   much of Southern California. Santa Ana winds andsimilar gusts in
   Northern California have intensifieda numberofwildfires in the state
   this fall.

   The state's largest blaze, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma Countynorth of
   San Francisco, was 72% contained Saturday afterburning nearly 80,000
   acres and destroying more than 370structures since it started on Oct.
   23, officials said.

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