Firefighters use break in winds to assess damage from Woolsey fire in Southern California and fortify defenses
LOS ANGELES_Firefighters on Saturday got a respite from destructive Santa Ana winds to take stock of the Woolsey fire, which has burned 70,000 acres overnight, claimed two lives, destroyed more than a hundred homes and forced 260,000 people to evacuate across a wide swath of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
With the winds expected to return by Sunday, fire officials said they spent Saturday assessing the damage and improving defenses.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said aircraft made fire retardant drops in an effort to bolster fire lines and keep flames from spreading. Fire damage assessment teams were out collecting information but have not announced a final numbers for lost homes. Many expect the losses to be in the hundreds.
Authorities stressed that residents need to stay out of the massive evacuation zone and urged the public not to let its guard down.
"Don't be lulled by a false sense of security," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark
