41.   Firefighters said three victims were in critical condition and were taken to Cedars Sinai Hospital and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

42.   He could have slipped through a curb-side storm drain, firefighters said.

43.   However, firefighters said the SuperScooper water-dropping planes are not always the best weapon and would not have helped in New Mexico because of high winds there.

44.   Instead, Haji signaled the crowd to begin stoning the fire truck, then raced off on his motorcycle, the firefighter said.

45.   It was a brush fire, so the other firefighters said he could forget about it and return to the bakery.

46.   Los Angeles already faces the prospect of brush fires, firefighters say, because of the large amount of brush and grass, grown lush with El Nino rains.

47.   One firefighter said he picked through the big and small pieces almost afraid to move them, afraid of what he would find underneath.

48.   Rank and file firefighters said they were told not to speak with reporters, which fueled speculation that workers were close to the day-care center and Social Security office.

49.   Re-evaluating the product is a step forward, but firefighters said consumer education also was needed to prevent a glut of false alarms.

50.   Some firefighters said they believe the cuts will slow response times for medical emergencies.