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CALIFORNIA

Crews contain 2,000-acre blaze

HESPERIA — A Southern California wildfire that prompted the evacuation of 230 homes was 50 percent contained yesterday after charring 2,000 acres, authorities said.

About 150 firefighters and two water-dropping helicopters were aided by lighter wind and lower temperatures.

Full containment was expected later in the day, said San Bernardino County Fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez.

The blaze burned a shed and damaged the roof of a house, but no injuries were reported. Evacuations were lifted for about 200 homes late Saturday, and residents of the other 30 homes were allowed to return early yesterday, Miss Martinez said.

The blaze began as a small brush fire Saturday morning. The cause was under investigation.

FLORIDA

Sharks bite two near island beaches

FORT PIERCE — A 9-year-old boy and an adult were apparently bitten by sharks off the beaches of a barrier island, authorities said. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The attacks happened within an hour of each other Saturday in the water along Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast.

The boy was bitten on his right buttock and thigh at Waveland Park, St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Whitaker said. He was released after treatment at a local hospital.

About an hour later, a 30-year-old surfer at Normandy Beach was bitten on his right ankle, causing a deep wound serious enough that he was hospitalized for observation, Miss Whitaker said.

Last year, 23 shark attacks were recorded along the Florida coast, maintaining the state’s position as the world’s shark-attack capital, according to a University of Florida study. Florida’s last recorded fatal shark attack was in 2005.

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