Calif. Wildfires Strain State's Resources

PlusCalif. Wildfires Strain State's ResourcesCalif. Wildfires Strain State's ResourcesThe Associated PressA wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state. (July 5)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] Wildfires continue to threaten hundreds of homes and drain resources throughout California.A slew of fires..most of which were sparked by lightning...have burned more than 800 square miles of land.Dozens of homes and buildings have been destroyed and 1 firefighter died after having a heart attack while digging fire lines.Governor Schwarzenegger says at this point the state's top priority is protecting Santa Barbara County where a fire burning in the Los Padres National Forest forced the evacuation of more than 26-hundred homes. Investigators say they believe that someone started that fire about 4 days ago. Forest officials are asking the public for their help in figuring out who may have set the blaze and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.Meanwhile, cooler weather is helping crews get a blaze at the northern end of Los Padres under control. ((Greg DeNitto//SOT: We're still at 5% contained. Until we have a secure line, we won't claim it as containment. We're hopeful, though...that we'll be able to claim some success on containment and increase that percentage.))More than 20 homes have been destroyed in Big Sur over the last 2 weeks.California's governor has ordered 400 hundred national guard troops to get tra

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YouTube | July 6, 2008

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