Roundup: Wildfire-burned area increases to 37,472 acres near Los Angeles

As of Tuesday morning, wildfire fueled by high heat has charred 37,472 acres (around 152 square km), up 13 percent compared with Monday afternoon in the Santa Clarita Valley area near Los Angeles, in the western U.S. state of California, and over a dozen houses have been destroyed.

Twenty percent of the fire had been contained, aided slightly by improving weather conditions and lighter vegetation in some areas, which offered hope of increased containment of the blaze.

More than 3,000 firefighters were on the lines working to knock down the fire, which broke out at around 2 p.m. local time (2100 GMT) Friday near Sand Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, along the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway.

The Los Angeles Fire Department sent a water-dropping helicopter to join the other four from the county Fire Department. Eight fixed-wing firefighting aircraft were also used to contain the blaze, according to authorities.

An estimated 20,000 people were evacuated as the fire raged, most evacuation orders were lifted at 7 p.m. Monday, but the orders still remain in effect in some places.

The coroner's office, meanwhile, identified a man whose burned body was found in a car in the driveway of a house. He was confirmed to be one refusing orders to evacuate the area.

The body of Robert Bresnick, 67, was discovered Saturday evening in a burning area, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

"Evidently, he did not want to be evacuated," Winter said. An autopsy was pending to determine the cause of the man's death, which was being classified as an accident.

Winter said Bresnick, whose hometown was not known, was visiting a friend at the location, and had been advised by authorities to leave. The friend left, but Bresnick did not, Winter said.

The fire has destroyed 18 homes, and two firefighters battling the flames have suffered minor injuries, according to county fire chief Daryl Osby.

The fire also destroyed a western town set on the Sable Ranch, a well-known filming location, according to authorities. Dry vegetation caused by a five-year drought was believed to have exacerbated the blaze.

Residents have reported smoke-filled air and falling ash in many parts of the greater Los Angeles area as a result of the fire.

A smoke advisory was issued at midnight Sunday for the valleys of San Fernando, San Gabriel and Santa Clarita, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Pomona Valley, and the central Los Angeles area, as smoke from the fire drifted southeast toward Los Angeles.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District recommended that people stay indoors and avoid using swamp coolers and wood-burning appliances. Endi