Calm winds delivered a much-needed respite Monday to exhausted firefighters and gave them the chance to gain the upper hand on wildfires still burning throughout Southern California.
But even as firefighters gained control, the damage toll climbed.
In Yorba Linda, the official tally of homes lost was placed at 113. And, for the first time, somber residents returned to the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar -- the "Beverly Hills of mobile home parks" -- where they saw a devastated neighborhood that looked more like a war zone than a country club.
"The firefight is over," said Marlene Heisey, an information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to about 300 team commanders gathered at the Orange County command center. Later, in an interview, she said, Sunday "it was like a freight train coming through. That intensity has ended."
Though they're keeping a watchful eye on the wind and forecast, the Orange County Fire Authority's Kris Concepcion said: "We have a good handle on things. We are now just making sure that everything in that fire area is cold."
Fire officials reported more good news from the front lines. Firefighters achieved 95% containment of the 1,940-acre Tea fire, which started in Montecito on Thursday evening and damaged or destroyed 219 residences. The Sayre fire was 64% contained, and the Freeway Complex fire was 40% contained.
In all, 842 homes have been destroyed in the last several days, and more than 100 more damaged. The cause of the fires remains unknown.
"This has been a terrible, trying time for the families," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "We've all seen the images on TV, but no one knows that better than the people who have lost their homes. No words can describe the size of this devastation. The truth is we haven't seen a fire of this magnitude in decades."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger requested a federal emergency declaration for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties to help offset the costs of the fires.
The flames and wind didn't discriminate. Unhealthy air, ash and a smoky haze hung over the parts of Southern California the flames didn't directly touch. In Yorba Linda, several of the homes lost were sprawling and expensive. In Sylmar, the mobile homes belonged to retired bus drivers, schoolteachers and people of more modest means.
