California and the West : Biggest Forest Fire in 80 Years Contained
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The Willow fire, which burned for a week in the Lake Arrowhead area of the San Bernardino Mountains and the adjacent High Desert, was declared fully contained at 6 p.m. Saturday, according to Bob Dyson, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The blaze, Southern California’s largest forest fire in eight decades, began Aug. 28, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. It burned an estimated 63,486 acres and 19 structures, including several homes.
Though Forest Service investigators initially suspected that the fire was ignited by an illegal campfire, they now believe it was touched off by another means, possibly a lightning strike.
At its height, the Willow blaze was fought by 2,765 firefighters and 15 helicopters. The Forest Service put the cost of suppressing the fire at about $8.5 million.
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