California IN BRIEF : ALPINE : Blaze Is Expected to Be Contained

Flames crackling through 1,550 acres of brush headed for the mountain hamlet of Hidden Glen in Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County, but firefighters said they were confident that the community could be protected. Aircraft bombarded flames with water and fire retardant, said a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry, and strike teams from as far as San Luis Obispo, 250 miles away, were called in. Complete containment was expected by 6 p.m. today, officials said. The blaze was started Saturday by an illegal campfire near the Loveland Reservoir, authorities said. More than 580 firefighters endured temperatures of 100 degrees and erratic winds while working in dense thickets of brush.