Wildfire Threatens a California Resort Island

Firefighters struggled early Friday to prevent a wildfire from reaching homes on the edge of Santa Catalina Island's main city as residents and visitors fled the resort isle off the Southern California coast.

People lined up at the harbor Thursday night to board ferries back to the mainland. Many covered their faces with towels and bandanas as ashes fell.

A few homes burned but firefighters were protecting other properties late into the night, Avalon Fire Chief Steven Hoefs said. About 1,200 homes were under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders.

''We're hanging in for now,'' Hoefs said.

The blaze that began five miles east of the island's airport grew to 4,000 acres, feeding on dry brush as winds steadily blew throughout the day and into the night. Winds later calmed and the air grew moist, although the threat remained.

An orange inferno loomed behind the quaint crescent harbor, landmark 1929 Catalina Casino and homes, restaurants and tiny hotels clinging to slopes above the waterfront.

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