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--> --> Blaze races through wilderness south of state line ETNA, Calif. (AP) - A 600-acre wildfire raged out of control today in steep terrain near the Oregon state line, and officials said they don't expect to contain the blaze until next week. Meanwhile, week-old blazes that have blackened nearly 45,000 acres of brush and forest land throughout the state have been nearly contained. The blaze in rural Siskiyou County was burning about 30 miles south of the Oregon line in treacherous mountain terrain that made it hard to fight, said Penny Melum, a spokeswoman for the Klamath National Forest. The blaze started Sunday afternoon when a backyard debris fire got out of control, Melum said. Wildfire officials said containment is expected by next Monday. "It is human caused, and it just breaks my heart," she said. About 350 firefighters worked in 80-degree heat today to battle the blaze, which was spread by high winds that pushed flames along 80-degree slopes. The National Weather Service expected temperatures around the region to heat up this week, with highs in the mid-80s today and lower-90s Wednesday, accompanied by winds of up to 15 mph. The few homes in the area were not immediately threatened and no evacuations were ordered, but fire engines were stationed at each house. The fire did threaten the homes of bears, mountain lions, raccoons and rattlesnakes. To the south, a 1,100-acre wildfire that burned 60 miles northeast of Sacramento in Yuba County was contained Monday afternoon. No homes were damaged and no injuries caused by the fire, which started Sunday when high winds knocked power lines into a tree, briefly prompting the evacuation of about 150 homes. In Southern California, a wildfire that scorched 23,407 acres of brush in the Angeles National Forest, destroyed nine homes and chased away more than 1,000 residents was 90 percent contained on Tuesday. The evacuees from Green Valley and other communities began returning over the weekend as cooler temperatures helped firefighters trying to subdue the so-called Copper fire. Full containment was expected Tuesday evening, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Martin Esparza said. Several hundred firefighters were released from the scene Monday and about 620 remained to concentrate on surrounding the fire. "We're pretty much into the final stages of this fire and they're making them available for other incidents," Esparza said. The fire was accidentally ignited by a grinding tool Wednesday near Santa Clarita, one of Los Angeles' northern suburbs. Suppressing the fire has cost more than $6.4 million and the figure could reach $9.5 million, officials said. Nine firefighters have suffered minor injuries. To the west in Ventura County, a blaze that burned across 21,278 acres in the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai seemed to have stalled. It was 65 percent contained Tuesday morning, with full containment expected by Friday, said Earl Clayton of the Los Padres National Forest. It began June 1, but did not damage homes or force evacuations. There have been seven minor injuries to firefighters. Fighting it has cost $11.5 million, said Jim Turner of the U.S. Forest Service. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing