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Border & Immigration

Firefighters Extinguish Last Of 13 Blazes In Baja California

Seen from Tecate, smoke fills the air from a fire in Baja California, May 14, 2014.
Katie Schoolov
Seen from Tecate, smoke fills the air from a fire in Baja California, May 14, 2014.

Firefighters in Baja California, Mexico have extinguished the last of 13 wildfires that burned nearly 10,000 acres last week across the state.

A military helicopter was used Saturday to drop 6 cubic tons of seawater on the last of the burning fires, which threatened vineyards in Baja’s Guadalupe Valley, according to Mexico’s National Forestry Commission.

Most of the fires were contained outside of population centers, but one fire did destroy four homes and a school in Ensenada, said Jaime Nieto, head of Ensenada’s fire department. That fire, called Cuatro Milpas, burned 1,700 acres inside city limits.

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After evacuating last Wednesday, 6,000 Ensenada residents are now back in their homes.

Despite the city’s severe water crisis, Nieto said firefighters had no shortage of water to battle blazes. He said the state public utilities commission redirected flows in order to ensure enough water pressure for firefighting.

No injuries or deaths were reported in any of the fires.