Mother Nature helped firefighters tackling a raging forest blaze near California's Lake Tahoe early Tuesday, with weather conditions helping to halt the advance of the flames, officials said. More than 1,800 firefighters were deployed in a full assault to contain the fire, which erupted Sunday near the southern tip of Lake Tahoe, a popular tourist spot 304 kilometers (189 miles) northeast of San Francisco.
By 7:00am Tuesday (1400 GMT) Tuesday, the fire had scorched 2,730 acres (1,105 ha) and destroyed 225 structures which included 178 homes.
A spokeswoman for the US Forest Service said the fire was 40 percent contained, with full containment expected by July 1.
Benign winds and increased humidity had helped firefighters overnight Monday and with more calm weather forecast Tuesday, authorities were aiming to tighten their grip on the fire, the spokeswoman said.
"We've got another 24-hour window where the weather is going to be fairly calm, low winds and 80 percent humidity. Hopefully that will allow us to break the back of it," the spokeswoman told AFP.
As well as massive numbers of firefighters on the ground, authorities will also launch an aggressive aerial bombardment of the fire, she said, with 12 water and retardant dropping helicopters taking to the skies.
Aerial assaults were limited on Monday because of thick plumes of smoke that reduced visibility and made flying too dangerous.
California officials on Monday declared a state of emergency in the area affected by the fire, which local officials described as the worst in memory.
Forestry officials said the exact cause of the fire had not been pinned down but said the blaze was "almost certainly" the result of human activity.
No injuries have been reported in the fire so far.
US fire and forestry officials have been bracing for a severe fire season across California this year after a dry winter marked by record low rainfalls.
Source: Agence France-Presse
