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Wind calmer as Calif battles devastating fires
2008-11-16
YORBA LINDA, Calif. - Calmer wind in Southern California is giving some relief to firefighters battling wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee. The National Weather Service said Sunday that the Santa Ana wind was gusting up to 39 mph in the Sylmar area of northern Los Angeles, much lower than the roughly 80 mph gusts that had fanned a huge wildfire there on Saturday. The wind has slowed to 25 mph in Orange and Riverside counties, allowing firefighters there to set backfires to prevent flames from moving into more neighborhoods. The fires in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and Santa Barbara counties have blackened nearly 29 square miles and destroyed more than 800 mobile homes, houses and apartments since Thursday night.
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