FIREFIGHTERS GAIN UPPER HAND FLAMES BURN AWAY FROM SCV HOMES.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem and Heather MacDonald Staff Writers

SANTA CLARITA - Flames burned away Thursday from Santa Clarita Valley homes as firefighters got the upper hand on a week-old blaze that had threatened communities miles apart but backing up to the same vast wilderness.

Firefighters kept guard west of the Golden State Freeway where stands of flames continued charring the woodlands that mark the valley's western boundary. But the cool, damp weather that arrived overnight proved their greatest weapon against a fire that had consumed more than 107,000 acres and sent local residents fleeing two days in a row.

``The fog layer laid low and kept the flames down overnight so firefighters finally got some rest,'' said Inspector Brian Nicholson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. ``But you can't sit still, the winds can pick up again. They did it before.''

On Thursday, bulldozers cut wide swaths in the brush and firefighters lit more backfires to protect hillside neighborhoods should the weather change and renew the fire's strength. Firefighters allowed flames to come within feet of the Newhall Church of the Nazarene before dousing them, removing any brush should the flames double back.

``We've had some scary points,'' said Suzanne Robertson, while setting out food and water for the firefighters in the church's kitchen. ``But the firefighters never wavered in their confidence that our church would be saved, and they were right.''

Much as they did Wednesday, the winds kicked up around 3 p.m. Thursday, complicating firefighters' efforts to burn what little brush was left at the foot of East Canyon in Newhall.

``It got away from us a little, but with this humidity, it's not going very far very fast, unlike earlier this week,'' said Los Angeles County Firefighter Larry Samuelson.

The smoke from the fires snarled traffic on the southbound I-5 as it drifted across The Old Road, which remained closed at Calgrove Boulevard.

By Thursday afternoon, the fire was 80 percent to 90 percent contained. It had charred Pico, Towsley and Lyon canyons and had come nearly to the doorsteps of homes in the Stevenson Ranch and Sunset Pointe neighborhoods. Flames had licked the sides of the freeway but never crossed it, a huge victory for firefighters who feared the blaze would reach older foothill neighborhoods east of the I-5. In the end, no structures were lost.

On Tuesday, firefighters told Lloyd Sreden of Stern, Kory, Sreden and Morgan that the fire likely would sweep past the accountant firm's new building - occupied for just three months - at the mouth of Lyon Canyon on The Old Road. Employees covered furniture and computers and removed important records.

``It came very close on one side, probably within 50 to 60 feet,'' Sreden said. ``The fire department came in with three hoses and 10 guys and put it out very quickly.''

Firefighters, he said, measured the flames in the hills near the building at 80 to 100 feet high.

Firefighters remained stationed Thursday in the cul-de-sacs of the Southern Oaks subdivision, where the fire burned the hills and stopped just before reaching the homes.

``I'm not worried - there's nothing left to burn,'' said Tehama County Firefighter Tim Parish while keeping watch for flare-ups or hot spots.

Although glad to get some down time, Parrish and Dave Doughty, both from Red Bluffs, Calif., were discouraged to hear that homes were still being lost in San Diego and near Lake Arrowhead.

``I'm champing at the bit,'' Parrish said. ``We did our job here, but there's more that we could be doing.''

Most Stevenson Ranch residents spent Thursday mopping up, washing the thick black ash off their cars and driveways and giving thanks that their homes were untouched.

``We hadn't slept really well for the last two days,'' said Ashley Lozano, as she washed her car in the driveway of her Sagecrest Circle home, which was near the heart of the inferno. ``We finally got some sleep today, and everything is getting back to normal.''

Patricia Farrell Aidem, [phone]

pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Two firefighters from the Burbank Fire Department turn their faces away from the heat Thursday near the Newhall Church of the Nazarene on Old Oak Road.

(2) Two firefighters from the South Pasadena Fire Department on Thursday soak the roof of the Newhall Church of the Nazarene.

(3) Capt. Bob Ramsey of the Burbank Fire Department keeps an eye on flames approaching a fire line carved near a church.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) A sign is posted on a wall near the intersection of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Hemingway Avenue thanking firefighters and police for saving homes in their communities.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer