Wind Tamer As Copters Battle Calif. Fire
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By GILLIAN FLACCUS  OJAI, Calif. - Helicopters lifted off as winds calmed Sunday, ferrying water and transporting firefighters to battle a three-week-old wildfire that has scorched more than 200 square miles of the Los Padres National Forest.
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A merciful easing of the winds fueling Southern California's sprawling wildfires finally gave fire crews a chance to fight back against some blazes Wednesday, and weary residents could take solace in an overriding sign of hope: Just one person has died from the flames.
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Crews used controlled fires to gain ground against an 1,800-acre blaze in western Colorado, but forecasters predicted more hot, dry weather and wind gusts on Thursday.
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Mother Nature helped firefighters tackling a raging forest blaze near California&#39;s Lake Tahoe early Tuesday, with weather conditions helping to halt the advance of the flames, officials said.
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LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. - Two wildfires erupted Tuesday in the forests of Southern California as a moist ocean breeze helped slow a huge blaze that has burned for more than two weeks near the coast.
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A wind-driven wildfire on Saturday   threatened some of California's premier vineyards and the   winemaking city of Napa, one of several blazes kindled across   the state by dry conditions and seasonal Santa Ana winds.
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. _ The famously crisp blue skies above this mountain lake retreat made a strong if tentative return Wednesday as still air confounded dire wind warnings and helped fire crews cinch a grip on the 3,100-acre Angor Fire.
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Firefighters won the upper hand against most of California's wildfires on Thursday, though several still burned out of control as President George W. Bush surveyed what he called "terrible devastation" from the five-day disaster.
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Although GPS and computer modeling technology can be used to help track the wildfires raging in California, the blazes are burning so fiercely that IT is playing little role in putting them out.
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By Nicole E. Squibbs, The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.  Feb. 28--A brush fire that began on the California side of the Colorado River levee, about one mile northeast of Pacific Avenue, was between 50 and 70 percent contained Wednesday evening, but heavy winds threatened to strengthen it.
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Unpredictable winds played tricks with firefighters trying to extinguish a once-massive wildfire, tamed the night before by a driving rain
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Dry conditions combined with fierce winds fueled wildfires in at least a dozen areas around Los Angeles and San Diego, threatening homes, forcing evacuations and causing at least one death on Sunday.
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Fire season is off to a hot and deadly start out West. Do firefighters have the aerial equipment they need to help keep the flames in check?
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Firefighters battled stubborn wildfires across Southern California on Saturday, but scattered showers brought a welcome improvement in conditions.
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Aided by light winds, firefighters made "outstanding" inroads Monday against a wildfire that has killed three people and burned more than 54 square miles.
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Cool, damp weather moved into Southern California from the Pacific Ocean on Friday boosting efforts to beat down stubborn wildfires, while weary families returned to find many homes unscathed but hundreds of others burned to rubble.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ A blanket of uneasy calm fell over the South Lake Tahoe area Wednesday as winds stayed tamer than expected and firefighters were able to gain some ground in their battle against the Angora fire.  As night fell, the U.S.