A tropical storm off the Pacific coast has cooled temperatures and brought much-needed rain to southern California, ending a sweltering heat wave and allaying fears that more residents are at risk from a massive wildfire.
Officials have warned that high winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Kay could fan a major fire called the Fairview Fire, which as of Friday had burned about 27,000 acres in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, and was only 5 percent contained.
Meanwhile, heavy rains from the storm increased the possibility of flooding and mudslides.
But the constant downpour helped the firefighters make significant progress overnight, according to Rob Roser, a spokesman for the California Fire Agency.
As of 10:50 a.m. (1750 GMT), the fire was 40 percent contained, Roser said, and there were no reports of flooding or avalanches.
“Fortunately the rains from Tropical Storm Kai came earlier than expected and provided much relief to the firefighters,” he said.
Roser said thousands of residents have been ordered to leave their homes but some people living in the west and northwest of the fire have been allowed to return since Friday. Two people died in the fire.
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