California IN BRIEF : YOSEMITE : Fire Crews Begin Battling Brush Blaze After 2 Weeks

Crews began battling a lightning-caused fire near Glacier Point that had been allowed to burn on its own for more than two weeks. Visitors to Yosemite Valley with cardiac or respiratory problems were urged to avoid physical exercise because of dense smoke. The 450-acre blaze almost two miles southeast of Glacier Point had burned without any attempt to suppress it since being discovered the first week of September. However, the National Park Service decided to contain the fire after erratic winds pushed it beyond the area where it was being allowed to burn, spokeswoman Marla LaCass said.