Staff and regular customers of the Summit Inn attempt to retrieve valuables from the restaurant’s safe on Wednesday Aug. 17, 2016 after the Blue Cut Fire destroyed the historic business on Tuesday in Hesperia, Calif. California?s newest huge wildfire advanced on thousands of homes Wednesday, feeding on drought-stricken vegetation and destroying an untold number of structures as it expanded to almost 47 square miles. A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyons, instantly engu.
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A member of a CalFire hand crew lights a back fire while fighting the Bluecut Fire, Wednesday Aug. 17, 2016 in Cajon Pass, Calif.
Firefighters Thursday began day three of their battle against the raging Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino County, which has forced more than 82,000 people from their homes.
Firefighters continue to battle flames that have climbed the rugged flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains, threatening communities including the ski town of Wrightwood at an elevation of almost 6,000 feet.
Authorities estimated that only half of the 4,500 residents of Wrightwood had heeded evacuation orders.
Five years of drought have turned the state’s wildlands into a tinderbox, with eight fires burning from Shasta County in the far north to Camp Pendleton just north of San Diego.
“We sat up all night watching it and when they say it goes fast, it goes fast, okay?”
Fire officials indicated there were significant property losses but had yet to release a tally, leaving those who fled waiting to find out whether their homes were still standing.
“They definitely saved the communities of Wrightwood and Lytle Creek”, Martinez said. The former volunteer firefighter recalled staying behind during a destructive 2003 wildfire but didn’t regret leaving this time.
Thick columns of smoke blocked out the sky above mountain peaks as the fire overran a number of properties, leaving behind barren lots with blackened appliances and vehicles stripped of almost everything but metal.
Boyd had a stern warning for those who chose not to heed evacuation orders.
Travel was returning to normal Thursday in the pass – a major corridor for trucking, rail and commuter traffic – after Interstate 15 was fully reopened. Cadaver dogs were searching the ruins for anyone who was overrun by the flames. They had been through earlier wildfires, but nothing like this one.
“When it gets up to 100, 110 degrees and you’re in close proximity to the fire, it’s extremely challenging, it’s mentally and physically exhausting”, said Famiglietti. “You’ve got flames behind you”, Christy said, describing a harrowing race down a mountain road.
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Much of the fire is burning in uninhabited areas between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, but populated areas are being affected. Overnight Wednesday, crews made water drops on the fast-moving blaze in an effort to increase its 4 percent containment. The accused, 40-year-old Damin Anthony Pashilk, is suspected of setting at least 17 other fires, maybe more.
