Cool weather offers hope in fight against California wildfire

A monster blaze raging above Los Angeles grew in size Tuesday as weary firefighters voiced hope that a break in searing temperatures would allow them to make inroads against the inferno.

The runaway wildfire, which has claimed the lives of two firefighters, gutted 53 homes and is threatening 12,000 more properties, has now churned through more than 121,762 acres (49,275 hectares) in just six days.

An estimated 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and the flames are threatening a critical telecommunications facility as well as a historic hilltop observatory.

But a cooler weather front which brought increased humidity raised hopes that firefighters could make progress Tuesday, incident commander Mike Dietrich told reporters.

"The conditions today will be much more favorable for firefighting and we'll take advantage of the weather to try and increase our containment very aggressively, take advantage while it's down," Dietrich said.

National Weather Service forecasters expected a 10-15 percent rise in humidity across the region to around 25 percent.

"When you're fighting a forest fire, even a one-percent rise helps," said weather service meteorologist Andrew Rorke.

More than 3,655 firefighters are battling the fire in the Angeles National Forest. The inferno threatened communications antennas for numerous television and radio stations, cell phone providers and law enforcement agencies on Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Firefighters were hacking at brush in order to create firewalls and set lines of retardant aimed at protecting the Mount Wilson Observatory. Television footage later Tuesday showed clouds of smoke shrouding the observatory dome.

Authorities have pushed back an estimate for when the fire would be under control, forecasting containment by September 15.

In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs offered condolences from President Barack Obama to the families of the two firefighters who died when their truck plunged down a mountainside as they battled the flames on Sunday.

"In the last many hours we have seen two firefighters lose their lives. The president and first lady obviously send their condolences to the two families," Gibbs said.

The Los Angeles fire was one of several destructive blazes across California.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters Tuesday that a total of eight major fires were burning, scorching a total of more than 133,000 acres (53,825 ha).

Some 78 structures had been destroyed and a statewide army of 5,700 personnel had been deployed. As well as the two firefighters who died, 14 had been injured, Schwarzenegger said.

Schwarzenegger had earlier urged residents who received an evacuation order to flee immediately. "I think the key thing is when you hear from law enforcement, anything about evacuation, follow their orders," he said.

There were conflicting reports about the fate of five people who ignored evacuation orders in Los Angeles and were criticized by authorities after requesting rescue from firefighters.

However, one of the five reportedly trapped denied requesting help and said the group was not in danger. Their fate was unclear Tuesday.

Meanwhile Los Angeles City fire officials reported one case of looting at a property vacated by evacuees.

Meanwhile, the fire has forced to a mass evacuation of animals from equestrian centers and wildlife sanctuaries. City officials said they were running out of shelters for horses which have been moved from the fire.

Hugh Briefman, the Los Angeles city animal control officer, has arranged the evacuation of more than 600 horses since the fire broke out. "The fire's everywhere," he said. "We're running out of places to take them."

California is frequently hit by wildfires due to its dry climate, winds and recent housing booms that have seen home construction spread rapidly into rural and densely forested areas.

In 2007, the state suffered some of the worst devastation from wildfires in its history that left eight people dead, gutted 2,000 homes, displaced 640,000 people and caused a billion dollars of damage.