Posted on 06/25/2005 9:38:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
KELSO, Calif. - A 65,200-acre wildfire in a southeastern California wilderness preserve destroyed five homes and two cabins built in the late 1800s, but firefighters had most of the blaze surrounded, officials said Saturday.
Six trailers or other structures also were destroyed in the Mojave National Preserve blaze, which was 65 percent contained late Saturday night, Ranger Linda Slater said.
Firefighters made good progress Saturday after a cold front moved in with winds that were not as strong as expected, Slater said.
The large fire formed after lightning sparked five separate blazes Wednesday afternoon near the Nevada state line. Those eventually merged and were burning at the edges of critical territory for the threatened desert tortoise, Slater said. A federal biologist walked the burned area Saturday to determine how the fire had affected the animals, but did not find any live or dead tortoises, officials said.
More than 900 firefighters working in steep, rocky terrain were battling the blaze, which was fueled by grass, sagebrush, juniper and pinyon pine stands made unusually dense by heavy winter rains.
It was unclear whether the fire - in an area north of Interstate 40 and south of Interstate 15 - had burned into sections of the preserve containing historic mines and sites of ancient Indian pictographs.
Elsewhere, firefighters surrounded two smaller blazes that also ignited earlier in the week.
A 3,022-acre fire that destroyed six houses and one other structure Wednesday in the Morongo Valley of San Bernardino County was fully contained Saturday. Officials began releasing some of the 1,000 firefighters there but some will remain for up to a week to watch for flare-ups, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Steve Faris said.
About 35 miles away, in the San Jacinto area of Riverside County, firefighters fully contained a 2,080-acre blaze. No homes were nearby.
The desert tortoises are OK, so far. Whew!!!
I've spent some time traveling & camping in that area. There actually are things that'll burn out there.
ROFL!!!
They always seem to survive....they even have to worry about the M1 Abrams at Fort Irwin!
Kelso??? What was burning? Rocks?
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