Incident commander Mike Wakoski called conditions “explosive” with very fast fire movement. “An acre is a football field, so imagine, 10,000 football fields per day”.
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“It started consuming houses that were non-defendable”, Los Angeles County deputy fire chief John Tripp said, describing the flames as charging through terrain “like a freight train”.
Since Sunday alone the blaze engulfed an additional 11,000 acres, according to the latest figures from fire managers.
Melanie Griffith tweeted out a prayer request Sunday after her mother was evacuated from Shambala, a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to saving exotic felines that have been confiscated by animal protection groups, reports the Daily Mail. Firefighters use foam to put out flare ups on a home at the end of Iron Canyon in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Sunday, July 24, 2016.
On Sunday, the fire forced the closure of all lanes of the northbound Antelope (14) Freeway from the Golden State (5) Freeway to Santiago Canyon and the southbound 14 Freeway from Avenue N to Soledad Canyon for a time.
One body was discovered and at least 18 homes were destroyed, authorities said. His death remains under investigation, but firefighters say it’s a reminder that homeowners need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
A California wildfire that has destroyed more than a dozen homes and left one man dead is forcing thousands of residents to flee as flames rage for a fourth day through drought-parched canyons and foothills north of Los Angeles.
Lois Wash, 87, said she, her daughter and her dog evacuated, but her husband refused.
“They’re working hard, they’re exhausted, it’s hot, it’s dry”, battalion fire chief Marc Peebles told local television station KABC-TV.
“I don’t know if he got out of there or not”. I think the last time I looked, it was about 100 yards from us.
Kellum and his wife, Helen, teared up as they recalled the joy of finding out the house they loved was still standing. “All we can do is pray”.
About 300 miles (483 kilometers) up the coast, crews battled another fire spanning more than 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) that has destroyed 20 homes and two outbuildings and forced evacuations outside the scenic Big Sur region.
Residents failing to heed mandatory evacuation orders are hampering the efforts of firefighters batting the raging Sand Fire, authorities said Monday.
Brock Bradford lives in a historic house in Palo Colorado and could see the flames coming down the road as he evacuated.
“I hope I don’t have to rebuild my house”, he told the Monterey Herald.
A woman who learned of the couple’s plight contacted them on Facebook and offered up her home while she was away on vacation.
Fire trucks lined streets of vacant and almost vacant subdivisions as helicopters dropped water and planes unleashed ribbons of red fire retardant to protect homes.
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The ferocious blaze destroyed much of Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, which has Western-style buildings used for movie locations.
