Milder Winds Help Slow Spread of Mojave Desert Fires

Milder than expected winds allowed more than 900 firefighters Sunday to douse hotspots and slow the spread of a large cluster of fires in the Mojave Desert, officials said.

“Things have turned very favorably for us,” said John Miller of the Southern California Incident Management Team, an interagency group of federal, state and local fire officials.

So far, more than 68,200 acres have been burned by five fires that began when lightning ignited dry brush in the eastern Mojave on Wednesday.

Officials said the cluster constitutes one of the area’s largest fires on record.

The fires continue to be 65% contained, but officials expect them to be fully contained by this evening.

Fire has destroyed five homes and six other structures in the remote terrain 60 miles northwest of Needles.

About a dozen people were evacuated, and one firefighter was injured with a pulled hamstring.

Authorities had feared the fires might expand during the weekend because gusty winds at more than 25 mph were forecast in the area.

But officials said winds Sunday hovered between 6 mph and 10 mph.

Fire also was slowed by the area’s steep terrain, which includes almost vertical hillsides in a mountain range that reaches nearly 6,000 feet, Miller said.

Authorities released about 100 firefighters.