July 07, 2008	Monday	Rajab 3, 1429

LOS ANGELES: Exhausted firefighters raced to contain hundreds of wildfires raging across California as forecasters warned on Sunday that a looming heatwave was set to deliver drier, hotter conditions.

More than 330 wildfires blazed across the state, as firefighters focused their efforts near the tourist haven of Big Sur and the town of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, 103 miles north of Los Angeles.

The blazes have burned 549,155 acres (222,235 hectares) across California since igniting on June 20, when lightning from dry thunderstorms triggered a series of forest infernos.

Firefighters reported some progress in their fight against the two largest wildfires along the state’s central and southern coastline, with the southern blaze 28 per cent contained and the Big Sur fire five per cent contained late on Saturday.

“Many of the firefighters have been working 24, 36, 48 hours without any sleep at any given time, so it’s really very, very tough work,” he said, noting that one firefighter had died and two were injured.—AFP