Weather helps slow Western wildfires’ spread

A thick blanket of moist air moved overnight into areas of California, Utah, and Arizona where wildfires are raging, helping firefighters get an upper hand on the blazes. The largest fire in California now covers 10 square miles of Riverside County but is 86 percent contained. Other fires are only 10 percent contained, including one burning on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base. But the rising humidity has helped slow their spread. In Arizona and Utah, some residents previously evacuated have been allowed back home while others remain in area shelters. Nearly 600 firefighters are working to contain the Arizona blaze, which has burned about 32 square miles around Prescott, 100 miles north of Phoenix. In 2013, 19 elite firefighters died fighting a fire in the same area.

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