MORONGO VALLEY, California (AP) -- Firefighters battling the worst of California's first major wildfires said the danger had mostly subsided Friday, but officials say the blazes should serve as a reminder of what's to come.
''We're in for a hot, dangerous year,'' said California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, as he toured burned out-homes. He noted that heavy winter rains spawned enormous vegetation growth, making good conditions for wildfires.
Wildfires have charred thousands of acres (hectares) in California and Arizona, reducing several homes to little more than ash.
In California, firefighters hoped to surround by Friday evening a wildfire that burned 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of desert brush. The fire destroyed six homes and threatened as many as 700 for a time Wednesday afternoon. It was about 50 percent contained Thursday.
A blaze near Phoenix burned an estimated 46,000 acres (18,600 hectares) by Thursday and forced the evacuation of about 250 homes.
Eric Herrman briefly returned to his $1.5 million (euro1.24 million) Tonto Hills home to retrieve documents and clothing. ''When planes started to come drop retardant on my neighbor's deck, I thought it was time to leave,'' he said.
Crews set backfires to burn up brush in the flames' path, while using roads and natural barriers to direct the fire away from homes. By Thursday afternoon, the fire was moving north away from Tonto Hills, a neighborhood of multimillion-dollar homes about 20 miles (30 kilometers) northeast of Phoenix.
The fire began as two lightning-sparked blazes Tuesday and spread quickly in hot, dry and breezy weather.
Fire crews in Utah and Idaho also battled lightning-caused fires Thursday, though no structures were threatened and no one had been displaced.
Most of the fires in Idaho started Tuesday when a storm moved through the south-central part of the state, igniting grass that has flourished this year because of an unseasonably wet spring.
In southern Nevada, firefighters tried to control at least 10 lightning-sparked fires that together had burned more than 19,000 acres (7,700 hectares) and cast a smoky haze over the Las Vegas Strip.
The largest charred 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) south of Las Vegas and prompted the evacuation of 100 people from a Boy Scout camp. Officials described the evacuation as a preventive measure.
Associated Press Writer Amanda Keim in Carefree, Arizona, contributed to this story.
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: www.nifc.gov
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