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Wildfires Burning East Of LA And Near Yosemite Burn Thousands Of Acres

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- Several wildfires burned in the hot, dry state of California Friday, with the largest in the San Bernardino National Forest growing as it incinerated dense, old-growth wilderness.

A fleet of helicopters dropped water in the San Bernardino Mountains, the towering range between inland cities east of Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert.

The 17-square-mile blaze threatened about 150 structures, including old cabins and outbuildings, but none was lost, said Lyn Sieliet, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.

About 1,200 firefighters battled the blaze that broke out for unknown reasons Wednesday near one of many camps in the area. It forced several hundred people to leave the camps and some vacation homes.

Crews face mountain temperatures ranging from 90 to 100 degrees and winds that carried smoke east into the desert and Coachella Valley.

Elsewhere:

• A 60-acre fire was partially contained after burning three residences in Thermal, 135 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

• Over 500 acres have been scorched in the Sierra National Forest, south of Yosemite National Park, and firefighters warned the blaze fed by heavy, dry brush could double in size in the next few days. Three air tankers were dousing the flames started by a vehicle, according to government reports.

• A 500-acre blaze sparked by a vehicle fire burned near the central California community of Cedar Valley.

• Firefighters worked to snuff out patches of fire and embers in Northern California after more than 2 square miles burned in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, east of Eureka.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report

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