PALMDALE, Calif. – A wind-whipped brush fire crept close to several homes Wednesday before crews got the upper hand, one of a handful of blazes around Southern California (search), officials said.
Fanned by 15 to 20 mph wind, the fire near the desert town of Palmdale (search), about 60 miles north of Los Angeles (search), grew to 1,200 acres Wednesday before it was contained by a force of hundreds of firefighters, Los Angeles County fire officials said.
No evacuations were ordered but a handful of homes were threatened for a time.
"Luckily, the homeowners did outstanding brush clearing and no homes were lost," spokesman Mike McCormick told KABC-TV.
The cause was still under investigation, but McCormick said it seemed to have started near power lines.
In the San Bernardino National Forest, a 100-acre fire forced the evacuation of 1,200 children, some dressed only in swim suits and towels, from campgrounds on Tuesday, officials said.
No injuries were reported and the cause was under investigation. The blaze was 40 percent contained Wednesday.
In southern Nevada, a two-week battle to stop lightning-sparked wildfires neared an end as firefighters concentrated on one remaining blaze in an uninhabited area.
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