White smoke: A good sign in Diamond Bar fire area
November 16, 2008 | 4:38
pm
Just off Tonner Canyon Road, in a field of silent oil pumps, firefighters knocked down a few spot fires, the remains of flames that had funneled earlier in the day west toward the 57 Freeway.
On either side of the road, smoke rose about 3:30 pm in curtains of mostly white smoke. Firefighters stood around a pile of snags that burned fiercely but harmlessly in the already scorched field.
Dan Sendek, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the lull in winds, plus greener brush and trees on some of Diamond Bar's ridges had slowed the blaze, as did an aggressive air attack with retardant.
"The wind is starting to cooperate," he said, adding: "Cautiously optimistic is the cliche."
--Hector Becerra
