California Firefighters Brace For More Winds

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Firefighters in Northern California braced for more high winds Wednesday as they tried to control wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes and left a firefighter severely burned a day earlier.

Slowing winds and cooler overnight temperatures initially helped firefighters get a handle on the blazes, but wind gusts of up to 40 mph were expected in some fire zones later Wednesday, said Cyndi Wilson, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Tuesday’s fires were concentrated in areas north and east of the state capital, while separate blazes burned near the coast.

One wildfire destroyed 21 homes in Palermo, a town of about 5,000 residents, said Joshpae White, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman. The community about 60 miles north of Sacramento was evacuated temporarily while at least 350 firefighters fought to protect homes.

By Wednesday morning, the fire was 60 percent contained after scorching 1,600 acres, with 275 homes threatened, he said. About 28 other structures and 99 vehicles were also destroyed.

A fire captain fighting a grass fire just south of Sacramento was hospitalized with severe burns after it unexpectedly changed direction and became more intense.

Sacramento Metro Fire Department Capt. Jeff Lynch said the captain was scheduled for surgery Wednesday after spending the night at the University of California, Davis Regional Burn Center in Sacramento with third-degree burns to his hands and second-degree burns to his arms.

Several fires along Interstate 5 in Stockton damaged or destroyed 30 homes before they were extinguished Tuesday afternoon, city spokeswoman Connie Cochran said.

Grass, brush and trees are in matchstick condition across California after the driest March, April and May on record.

Across the country in eastern North Carolina, firefighters planned to burn harvested wheat fields to clear potential fuel for a wildfire burning in and around the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

Winds whipped up the 64-square-mile wildfire, forcing the evacuation of 50 homes Tuesday, officials said.

The fire, sparked June 1 by a lightning strike, is about 40 percent contained, officials said.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)