LOS ANGELES �� Less than 24 hours after California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, weather helped take the fight out of a more than 7,000-acre brush fire that officials said is the city's largest in decades by acreage.
The La Tuna fire, which has raged in the Verdugo Mountains since Friday, was 30 percent contained Monday, fire officials said. There is "really no active fire left," said Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas, although he noted that wind could help kick the fire back up.
Temperatures Monday were projected to reach 86 degrees, with winds at three to 10 mph and a relative humidity of 40 percent to 45 percent. But that was a far cry from the heat wave temperatures that had helped the fire's spread.
"Very favorable to the firefighters making continued progress," Terrazas said. "As long as the weather continues to cooperate, I am very confident and convinced we'll be fine."
The La Tuna fire destroyed four homes, shut down the 210 Freeway and led to evacuations in Burbank, Glendale and the Sunland-Tujunga area. At the peak of the fire, more than 700 residents left their homes in the region.
The evacuations were lifted and the freeway reopened. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but officials said there is no evidence of arson.
The governor's declaration came Sunday, at the urging of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said it would ensure that state and federal assistance was provided as quickly as possible. Garcetti described the fire as the biggest in the history of the city in terms of sheer acreage.
Fire officials repeated that statement on Monday.
"We're confident back to 1961, the Bel-Air fire, that this is the largest fire by acreage in the city of Los Angeles," Terrazas said.
Because of concern over future rain and mudslides, bulldozers will be used to clear out basins, which could get clogged and lead to mud and water flowing into communities, Terrazas said.
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(Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.)
