A forest fire that burned 55 square kilometers was finally brought under control on Wednesday morning. The fire started on Sunday in Black Bear State Park and quickly spread to nearby areas.
On Monday, police evacuated (疏散) the small town of Lawson and asked the people to leave their homes. The fire destroyed 20 homes in the area and caused heavy damage (损坏) to 40 others.
Nobody was hurt. Officials said the damage to homes and cars was between $l million and $2 million. The fire spread quickly in the hot, dry weather. Firefighting was difficult because of strong winds. Firemen from 55 fire departments in the state joined the National Fire Service to put out the fire. Some kept fighting for 24 hours. Fire engines (消防车) and helicopters (直升机) dropped water onto the fire. In order to control the fire, firemen cleared a way around the fire.
Police closed King Road to traffic on Tuesday because of heavy smoke. Thousands of tourists had to drive an hour north to Queen Road to pass the fire area. Local police think open fires left by tourists might be the cause of the accident and ask tourists to follow the rules in case such accidents ever happen again.
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