Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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August 30, 2009

More than 3,000 Homes Evacuated in California Fire
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=264F0B7:A6F02AD83191E160CFA22BA3B207620021A4E82C900CD027&
 
Angeles National Forest says it could take a week to contain the flames,
which have blackened more than 8,000 hectares 
Officials in the western U.S. state of California say more than 3,000
homes have been evacuated as a wildfire rages in the mountains north of
Los Angeles. US Forest Service air tanker drops fire retardant next to a
line of fire in the hills above Altadena, California, 29 Aug 2009A
spokesman for the Angeles National Forest says it could take a week to
contain the flames, which have blackened more than 8,000 hectares. That
fire is the worst of several burning across the state. Officials say at
least three people have been hurt. Firefighters have been attacking the
fire both from the ground and from the air. They have even used a giant
DC-10 air tanker to drop large loads of flame retardant. Hot, dry
weather has made matters worse, with temperatures approaching 40 degrees
Celsius. However, forecasters say Sunday will bring somewhat cooler
weather, and several cooler days should follow. Some information for
this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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