Heavy rain and lightning forced firefighters from the ridges where they were battling a cluster of wildfires east of Los Angeles, authorities said Monday.
Fire officials were hoping the storms would soak the flames rather than produce dry lightning in the San Bernardino Mountains.
There was a 40 percent chance of rain in the area Monday and a 60 percent chance of heavy rain, with the possibility of flash flooding later in the week in canyons where fires have stripped away vegetation, said Robert Balfour, a National Weather Service senior forecaster.
The wildfires have destroyed 58 homes and blackened more than 130 square miles of desert and forest.
The increased humidity of rain showers Sunday helped firefighters make progress against the largest of a group of fires in the area. That blaze, ignited by lightning July 9, had covered about 96 square miles but was 70 percent contained and some crews were being sent home.
At least 11 people have been injured by the flames. A body was found in a burned area, but the cause of death remained under investigation.
Elsewhere, a fire on the edge of Valentine, Neb., about 300 miles northwest of Omaha near the South Dakota state line, had destroyed about 10 homes, and 200 people and a hospital were told to evacuate as a precaution, officials said. Firefighters concentrated on remaining hot spots Monday after spending the night protecting the town of 2,600 people.
Firefighters in southern and eastern Montana were battling five major fires that charred more than 300 square miles, mostly east of Billings. Officials said Monday that crews were gaining the upper hand after a night of cooler temperatures.
In Wyoming, a wind shift helped firefighters keep a group of blazes from advancing toward Devils Tower National Monument.Associated Press via Washington Post
