The fire was expected to continue to burn aggressively through the night, said San Bernardino National Forest spokesman John Miller.
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Burned property at Hess Road and Highway 138 shows the devastation of the Blue Cut fire in West Cajon Valley, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.
The image was taken by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite on Wednesday, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory website.
“In California, we can not force people from their homes, but that means we have firefighters that have to come back to the mandatory evacuation zones instead of fighting the fire”. The fire, which has burned almost 4,000 acres since it broke out Saturday and was 50 percent contained, Cal Fire said.
Arsonists are being blamed for dozens of fires across California including the Clayton Fire and experts say not every arson has the same motive.
BNSF said in a statement Thursday that while two of its main lines between San Bernardino and Barstow re-opened Wednesday evening, a third would remain closed.
The Blue Cut Fire started burning late on Tuesday morning east of Los Angeles in the Cajon Pass. Jerry Brown to issue a state of emergency in the county.
The Blue Cut Fire is now at 4% containment with a total of 1,309 personnel battling the fire. The cause is still under investigation.
Around 34,500 homes are under the evacuation orders, fire officials said.
“We don’t like losing homes and it’s challenging when we’re up against a fire that’s burning so aggressively”, said Glen Barley, Cal Fire’s San Bernadino Unit Chief. A wildfire with a ferocity never seen by veteran California firefighters race.
“It’s to the point where explosive fire growth is the new normal this year”, said Glenn Barley of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The pass is a major route for travel from the Los Angeles region to Las Vegas and also carries significant daily commuter traffic for high desert residents. “There will be a lot of families that come home to nothing”.
On Tuesday night, Gov.
Authorities on Monday arrested 40-year-old construction worker Damin Anthony Pashilk, who they say is responsible for setting the fire along with 16 smaller fires dating back to last summer. Cal Fire encouraged people who were not yet under evacuation orders to visit readyforwildfire.org, as part of preparations to leave their homes at a moment’s notice if necessary.
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US government forecasters have said the risk of major wildfires in Southern California is likely to remain high until December, given the dryness and warm weather.
