LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A raging wildfire north of Los Angeles has displaced thousands of anxious Californians, burning 140,150 acres by Wednesday.
Beth Halaas sifted through the ashes of her family's charred Los Angeles County home trying to find something to salvage.
"It's stuff. Hold on to some of it for traditions. But you've got to remember it's just stuff," she said on CNN's "Campbell Brown."
The so-called Station Fire forced Noel and Marta Rincon to evacuate their home in Tujunga.
"I thought that we were losing our home," the husband said of the residence where he was born and the couple raised their family.
The Rincons appeared visibly relieved when a helicopter doused flames before they could reach the house.
"It's very scary," Marta Rincon said, "but our captain over here keeps assuring us our house is very savable and that we are going to be fine." VideoWatch as some homeowners say they're not ready to leave »
The blaze has begun encroaching on the San Gabriel Wilderness Area in the Angeles National Forest, Mike Dietrich, the U.S. Forest Service incident commander, said early Wednesday. The San Gabriel area represents the eastern edge of the fire, Dietrich told reporters. PhotoSee photos of the wildfire »
Nearly all of the fire was in forestland and the foothill communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale.
"Right now we're still looking at this as potential for a long-term fire because it is problematic in the San Gabriel Wilderness," Dietrich said.
The fire, which is 22 percent contained, has destroyed 62 homes, three commercial properties and 27 other buildings since it began August 26, said Joseph Carlton, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The state of California has spent about $21 million so far fighting the fire in the Angeles National Forest, Dietrich said.
Responding to questions about the cost at a subsequent briefing, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "I've made it clear that even though we have a budget crunch, and we have an economic crisis and we just solved a $23 billion deficit, we will always have the money available to fight the fires because public safety is our No. 1 priority."
The governor said he insisted that the state budget he signed in July have a $500 million reserve for emergencies such as fires. California has had 5,000 fires so far this year, he said.
Schwarzenegger said 21 firefighters have been injured battling the Station Fire in addition to the two killed Sunday. They died in a vehicular crash trying to escape fast-moving flames.
An official at the governor's briefing said about 10,000 homes, 500 commercial properties and 2,000 other structures remain threatened.
Wednesday's valley and desert temperatures could reach 103 degrees, the National Weather Service said, while mountain highs were forecast to be 100.
While potentially beneficial higher humidity was expected, thunderstorms were possible, and they could bring the danger of dry lightning, igniting more fires, forecasters said.
They also pose the danger of downdrafts that could create more fire fronts, officials said.
Cooler temperatures were predicted for the weekend.
Firefighters were focusing Wednesday on protecting communities in the Devil's Canyon area of the San Gabriel Wilderness, a steep landscape that is "not good firefighting country," he said.
Firefighters were monitoring Azusa, Duarte, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Pasadena and Arcadia.
"We know that the fire may move in that direction in the next several days so we're doing everything we can to keep those communities from becoming threatened," Dietrich said.
Homes in foothills were also a concern. Dietrich said the area above Tujunga and above Devil's Canyon were among the most active areas.
Residents have fled from 10,000 homes along the edges of the Angeles National Forest since the fire started a week ago. VideoWatch how residents are trying to save homes »
As of late Tuesday, mandatory evacuation orders remained in place for 2,000 homes.
A fierce fight was waged Tuesday to save a key communications complex and historic observatory atop Mount Wilson, where Dietrich said 7,500 gallons of a fire-retardant gel were dropped. The collection of towers is vital for government communications and nearly 50 radio and TV stations.
The fire retardant and firefighters clearing brush helped protect Mount Wilson.
It is unclear what caused the blaze, which charred an area that had not seen a major fire in more than 60 years.
Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency last week as a result of the Station Fire. He also proclaimed a state of emergency on Tuesday in San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles, where the Oak Glen Fire had scorched more than 1,000 acres.
Schwarzenegger had declared states of emergency in Placer, Monterey and Mariposa counties because of fires.
