LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Firefighters on Monday were on course for victory in their gruelling three-week battle with hundreds of wildfires burning in California, as weather conditions eased across the state.
While 288 fires were still active according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the three most significant blazes were close to being fully contained, latest figures showed.
Nearly 1,800 fires were raging at one point after lightning ignited decades-old brush and parkland throughout the state on June 20.
As of Monday, a staggering 839,343 acres (339,670 hectares) had been consumed by flames, making the crisis the largest in terms of size in Californian history. The fires have claimed one life and destroyed 100 homes.
In terms of loss of life and property, however, the crisis is substantially smaller than the wildfires in California last October which left eight people dead, destroyed 2,000 homes and caused two billion dollars damage.
However the end of the current firestorm appeared to be in sight on Monday, with news that the fire threatening the town of Paradise, 90 miles (144 kilometers) north of Sacramento, was no longer threatening homes.
The 53,000-acre forest inferno was now 70 percent contained, latest figures showed, and was expected to be under control by July 24.
Two other fires that have been threatening populated areas near Santa Barbara, 103 miles (165 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, and Big Sur, a coastal tourist haven 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of San Francisco, were also close to being tamed.
The Big Sur fire, which had scorched nearly 120,000 acres, was 61 percent contained, while the fire near Santa Barbara, which has burned 9,443 acres, was 90 percent under control, officials said.
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