Terrain hampers efforts to fight Calif. wildfire

LOS COYOTES INDIAN RESERVATION, Calif. – Steep, rocky terrain is making it difficult for firefighters struggling to complete containment lines around a nearly 20-square-mile California wildfire burning on a remote American Indian reservation in northeast San Diego County.

The 12,700-acre blaze was 45 percent surrounded late Monday, but there's no estimate on full containment, said Tom Piranio of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The six-day-old fire slowed Monday, due to higher humidity levels from a monsoonal weather system that moved in from the south, but the extremely rugged terrain was hampering firefighters' efforts to complete 11 miles of containment lines, Piranio said.

The fire broke out Thursday on the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation and has moved into Anza-Borrego State Park. A shed was destroyed but no homes have burned, nor are any threatened.

Six firefighters have reported minor injuries, mostly heat exhaustion.

Eight air tankers were streaking over areas just ahead of fire lines in an effort to thwart the advance of flames while 22 helicopters bombarded hot spots with water drops. There were 2,133 firefighters on the lines.

The Borrego Palm Canyon Campground and Trail and the Los Valley Boy Scout Camp have been closed.

The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.