Firefighters on the way

A Catalina Express ferry was leaving from Long Beach, filled with dozens of firefighters with axes, chainsaws and other equipment. They were headed to Avalon Harbor to join fire crews on the lines.

-Seema Mehta

Hundreds evacuated

L.A. County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla said the fire had grown to 4,000 acres. Some 300 to 400 people have been evacuated voluntarily from the island, he said.

--Rebecca Trounson

4,000 acres

L.A. County fire says 4,000 acres have burned on Catalina Island.

-Rebecca Trounson

'It's heartbreaking'

Several hundred evacuees were in the Catalina Express terminal building in Long Beach. Some were watching the television coverage in the lounge area, while others boarded Long Beach transit buses to shelters at nearby Cesar Chavez Park. Some evacuees were staying with relatives in San Pedro or Wilmington.

Amanda Cervantes said she has lived on the island for 24 years. She said many people who were waiting to board boats on the island were crying and fainting as thick smoke and ash rained down on them.

"It's heartbreaking," she said. "It's not a good scene."

-Jeff Rabin

'Fairly stable'

Assistant City Manager Pete Woolson said the situation was calmer. "It seems to be holding at this point. We went as far as a voluntary evacuation of the entire town, but things are fairly stable right now."

Nonetheless, he said, "the wilder areas of the island are still burning. There's a lot of fuel out there."

-Rebecca Trounson

Homes lost; "0% contained"

Avalon Fire Chief Steve Hoefs said, "The operation went extremely well, although we had one or two firefighters who suffered smoke inhalation and were taken off the island. The fire is zero percent contained. We held the fire from expensive homes, from hotels, schools and condominiums. We saved all of those structures. We did lose a few modest homes in Avalon Canyon."

He said the operaton included five water-dropping helicopters and eight fixed-wing aircraft. Late Thursday night two hovercraft arrived from Camp Pendleton, each carrying five engines.

Hoefs said the helicopters would begin flying again about 6 a.m. He said approximately 300 to 400 residents have been evacuated from this island "but the majority of the populaton of about 3,600 is still here." He said many of them are in the harbor area staying in businesses and homes.

-Louis Sahagun in Avalon

Hundreds expected at shelter

The evacuation center in downtown Long Beach (at Cesar E. Chavez Park, left) expects more than 700 evacuees, including some from a middle school science camp.

-Ashley Powers

Island interior also in jeopardy

Avalon Fire Chief Steve Hoefs said although much of the attention and the firefighting strategy were devoted to protecintg Avalon, "The fire continues to burn out of control in the interior of the island."

-Louis Sahagun in Avalon

Losses mount

Avalon City Councilman Scott Nelson said: "We've lost five or six small businesses in Falls Canyon and a construction company building in Birdpark Canyon." He also said that evacuees who took refuge in the casino, which is without power, have been moved to another location.

Nelson said about 100 firefighters were battling the blaze and that another 200 new recruits, arriving by hovercraft and Marine helicopters, were bedding down at the airport to work the day shift in the morning. Catalina Express was also running extra boats through the night to take people off the island.

-Louis Sahagun in Avalon

Structures lost

L.A. County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla said one city-owned commercial building has burned, along with several outbuildings. He did not know the location of the buildings. No homes have been damaged, he said.

-Rebecca Trounson