By John Blackstone
7 September 2012 SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, California (CBS News) – Summer is nearly over, but the wildfire season in the West is still going strong. Forty wildfires are burning from Southern California to Montana. Nationally, 45,000 fires have left more than 8 million acres scorched. After months of putting out blazes and no end in sight, firefighters are exhausted and budgets are strained. In the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, the flames that consumed 4,100 acres this week are now largely out, but firefighters are still hunting for hotspots. L.A. County fire captain Ron Reed has been on the front lines from dawn to dusk since Sunday. “Some steep, ugly country back in here,” Reed said. “Big brush, big fuel types, very hard to contain fires.” […] Wildfires in 12 states have burned almost 2 million more acres than in an average year. The season has stretched the limits of firefighters and budgets. […] California budgeted $93 million for wildfires this year but has already gone through $114 million. Montana, Washington and Utah have also burned through their firefighting budgets. This week, Chris Fernandez of the U.S. Forest Service Sierra Hotshots has been putting in 16-hour days. He said he’s been in Idaho, Utah, Arizona and up and down California. […] But it could be months until the firefighters can get some rest. California’s Santa Ana winds are beginning to blow, increasing the danger of wildfires there through January.

Long summer of wildfires puts strain on firefighters, budgets