YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - At least 42 homes have now been lost to a wildfire east of Los Angeles that's grown to 37,000 acres.
The tally of destroyed houses rose after authorities were able to make a detailed count. Another 55 buildings and 91 vehicles have also burned.
Some 800 to 1,000 people remain evacuated from a-half dozen areas, including Pioneertown, which has been used as a backdrop for Western movies dating back to the 1940's.
The wildfire is moving southwest on winds of up to 40 miles-per-hour. The fear is that it could move into San Bernardino National Forest, threatening the resort community of Big Bear Lake.
Some 25,000 firefighters are on the lines. Containment remains at 16 percent. Temperatures have pushed as high as 108 degrees.
http://www.fox6.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=304B103A-953C-4A3D-8001-303FA572B3EB&rss=national
It's not just California, either:
Billings fire officials are keeping a close watch for any flare ups after containing a grass fire that burned dangerously close to homes in The Heights.
The fire was reported before 7:00 p-m Wednesday near Harvest Church, by the High Sierra subdivision.
Emergency crews at Billings Logan Airport were the first to spot the fire.
Firefighters from the Billings Fire Department, Shepherd, Lockwood and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation all pitched in to beat back flames that came within ten feet of some homes.
Witnesses say the smoke across the Billings' Heights was so thick that at times visibility was down to just a few feet.
The homes at greatest risk of burning were the houses right behind Skyview High School.
The fire scorched as many as 400 acres of grassland in The Heights.
http://www.kaj18.com/Global/story.asp?S=5144075
PATTERSON, Calif. Strong winds and rugged terrain are making for tough going as firefighters battle a wildfire near the Stanislaus and Santa Clara County lines.
At last check, the fire had consumed nearly 17-thousand acres and was heading southwest over ranch land toward Henry Coe State Park.
A spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says eight buildings -- mostly hunting cabins and lodges -- have been destroyed.
Another 80 buildings and a winery are threatened by the blaze.
Three firefighters have been treated for minor heat-related illnesses. Some residents in the area have voluntarily evacuated.
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=5144893