California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Forecasters say a weekend of increased humidity should help teams fighting an early-season wildfire in Southern California that has tripled in size.

Cooler, calmer ocean air is moving ashore, raising humidity and even bringing a chance of rain by tomorrow night.

Fire officials say crews hope to take advantage of the more favorable firefighting weather as they try to protect thousands of homes.

The fire broke out Thursday near Camarillo and tripled in size on Friday despite the efforts of more than 900 firefighters backed by helicopters and air tankers. Officials estimate it's 20 percent contained. Shifting winds have made fighting it difficult.

Evacuations have been prompted. The latest affected residents along a road on the southern edge of Thousand Oaks.

The blaze is one of more than 680 wildfires in the state so far this year -- about 200 more than average.

In Riverside County, a 4 1/2-square-mile fire that destroyed a home burned for a third day in mountains north of Banning.

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