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TheAssociatedPress MIDDLETOWN More than a dozen homeowners who evacuated during a dev- astating California wild- fire returned to find their homes had been burglar- ized, authorities said. At least six people were arrested on suspicion of looting or planning to loot homes after the wildfire that started Sept. 12, de- stroying 1,300 homes and killing four people in Lake County. Sheriff's Lt. Steve Brooks told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat on Thursday that 14 homeowners reported burglaries. One burglar broke into a home and spray-painted a car in the garage to make it look like a police vehicle, so the thief could get away easier, Brooks said. The wildfire north of San Francisco was 97 percent contained after burning more than 118 square miles and sending thousands of people fleeing homes. Residents and businesses in the county have filed more than 2,100 claims in- volving the fire, Madison Voss, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Insurance, told The As- sociated Press. Residents and business owners in another deadly blaze in Amador and Ca- laveras counties have filed nearly 1,100 claims, Voss said. That fire started Sept. 9 and was 100 per- cent contained after kill- ing two men, destroy- ing nearly 500 homes and blackening nearly 111 square miles. Voss said it would take time to put a dollar amount on losses and damages in both fires. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Someevacueesreturnto homes looted in wildfire By Juliet Williams The Associated Press SACRAMENTO The Cal- ifornia High-Speed Rail Authority has received 35 responses from private companies interested in fi- nancing, building and op- erating the first 300-mile segment of the controver- sial rail project. Officials say the responses are a positive sign of private in- terest after lawmakers last year dedicated a long-term funding source. Chief Executive Jeff Mo- rales declined to provide details Friday about what the companies told the agency or make public the responses, saying officials are still reviewing them and plan to meet with the companies over the next two months. The authority provided a list of 35 firms that re- plied, including London- based Barclays Bank, a group called the Chinese High Speed Rail Delivery Team and several large in- ternational construction and engineering firms with offices in the United States, such as Bechtel Infrastruc- ture Corporation, Siemens Industry Inc. and AECOM. Laura Mason, business development manager for Bechtel's North America public infrastructure divi- sion, said the company of- fered its expertise in pub- lic-private high-speed rail partnerships in the United Kingdom and Korea. "It will take new model of contracting that hasn't been seen before," she said of the California project. Several other firms con- tacted Friday did not im- mediately respond to re- quests for comment from The Associated Press. Facing criticism from op- ponents for the lack of pri- vate investors lining up to finance the $68 billion proj- ect, the rail authority asked private firms to respond to a list of questions on how to reduce costs, speed up con- struction and attract more private-sector investment for a segment from Mer- ced to Burbank, which is scheduled to start operat- ing in 2022. "Until now we have been saying 'There will be pri- vate sector interest.' Now the private sector is saying 'There will be private sec- tor interest,'" Morales said Friday. He said the responses allow the rail authority to benefit from "the collective experience of firms who've delivered big projects who can help us determine the best path forward." The state Legislature agreed last year to provide the first ongoing source of financial support to the project: a quarter of all revenues from the state's greenhouse gas emissions program in which compa- nies buy and sell pollution credits. That amounted to $250 million last year and could eventually to- tal $3 billion to $5 billion a year. Voters in 2008 also approved nearly $10 bil- lion in bonds for the proj- ect, and the federal govern- ment has committed $3.5 billion in matching funds. Still, California's project facespoliticaluncertaintyin Washington, D.C. as Repub- licanHouseMajorityLeader Kevin McCarthy, of Bakers- field, seeks to become the next speaker. He previously has vowed to "do whatever I can to ensure that not one dollar of federal funds is di- rected to this project." Rail officials are ex- pected to brief the board of directors on the industry responses at a board meet- ing next week. 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