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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters in New Mexico say they are strengthening their hold on a wildfire that has charred more than 21 square miles of forest and grazing land on the Navajo Nation. Fire officials say crews have contained 40 percent of the Assayii (UH'-say-eye) Lake Fire and plan to continue removing debris and vegetation while building containment lines around the fire's edges. The fire has destroyed at least five structures and 50 homes are still threatened.
FAIRFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews have contained a five-acre brush fire that has damaged or destroyed several homes and outbuildings in the Northern California town of Fairfield. The blaze that broke out yesterday prompted evacuations as it sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. The Contra Costa Times reports that one home and six outbuildings were destroyed and two other homes were heavily damaged.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Officials say the Minneapolis hospital buildings at the edge of a Mississippi River bluff mudslide are structurally sound. A University of Minnesota Medical Center spokeswoman says engineers have inspected the two hospital buildings and determined they are not structurally compromised. No one was hurt Thursday night when a 100-yard swath of bluff soil, including trees and brush, slid to a parkway below, leaving 6 to 8 feet of mud on the road.
SEATTLE (AP) — Friends of outdoors writer Karen Sykes are anxious but hopeful that searchers will find her safely sheltered somewhere in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The 70-year-old Seattle-based hiker was reported missing by a hiking partner late Wednesday while she researched a story. A park spokeswoman says Sykes had adequate survival gear to camp overnight in an emergency.
NEW YORK (AP) — One of five men exonerated in the rape and beating of a Central Park jogger is thanking New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for settling a lawsuit over the men's 1989 arrests. Korey Wise spoke briefly at the Rev. Al Sharpton's Harlem headquarters today. The five were found guilty in the attack and served time, but a re-examination of the case in 2002 pointed to another suspect, who confessed. The city comptroller says the tentative settlement is "in the ballpark" of $40 million.
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