Nation in brief: Fires in check, for now
Firefighters in Northern California battled more than a thousand wildfires to a stalemate by Sunday, but forecasters said dangerous conditions would not relent anytime soon.
No new major fires had broken out Sunday as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services.
Forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and dry lightning through the weekend, similar to the ones that ignited hundreds of fires a week ago. A U.S. Forest Service report said the weather would get even drier and hotter as fire season headed toward its traditional peak in late July and August.
In Arizona, residents of a remote mountain community north of Phoenix left their homes voluntarily ahead of a slow-moving fire, officials said Sunday.
Phoenix
Six dead in copter collision
Two medical helicopters collided Sunday afternoon about a half-mile from a hospital, killing at least six people and critically injuring another, a federal official said.
Three of the fatalities were aboard a Bell 407 helicopter operated by Air Methods out of Englewood, Colo. At least one of the dead was the patient.
Four others were aboard a Bell 407 helicopter operated by Classic Helicopters of Woods Cross, Utah. Three were killed and one was critically injured.
Capt. Mark Johnson, a spokesman for the Flagstaff Fire Department, said the helicopters crashed in a wooded area about a half-mile from Flagstaff Medical Center. The helicopters’ debris was spread across the scene.
The crash started a 10-acre brush fire that authorities were able to extinguish, said Coconino County sheriff’s spokesman Gerry Blair.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska
Bear attacks girl on bike
A 14-year-old girl riding in a mountain bike race was attacked in the dark of night by a bear Sunday and severely injured, but she was able to make a brief 911 call that eventually resulted in her rescue.
The girl suffered head, neck, torso and leg wounds. She underwent surgery and was in critical condition Sunday afternoon at Providence Alaska Medical Center, police said.
“The local bear expert said it’s probably a sow grizzly,” said Cleo Hill, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Fire Department. “One has been sighted in the area recently.”
The attack occurred along a trail in a 24-hour race put on by the Arctic Bicycle Club in Bicentennial Park. Rescuers had to hike in more than two miles to reach the girl.
Rick Sinnott, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the girl was fortunate to be wearing a bike helmet because the bear had bitten her head.