The “Blue Cut Fire,” which erupted on Tuesday in the mountainous Cajon Pass northeast of Los Angeles, had exploded to cover 34,500 acres (nearly 14,000 hectares) by early Thursday, growing almost 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) overnight, fire officials said.
Advertisement
The amount of damage from the erratic fire has been hard to estimate, though authorities have said “numerous” buildings have been destroyed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Much of the fire is burning in uninhabited areas between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, but populated areas are being affected.
Firefighters are also battling to control a Northern California blaze that destroyed at least 175 homes and businesses as it grew to 4,000 acres and forced 4,000 people from their homes.
Officials estimate the Blue Cut fire is 37,000 acres and 26 percent contained. The fire began Tuesday morning at 10:36 a.m.at Cajon Pass west of Interstate 15, the highway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
More than 80,000 residents remained under evacuation orders from the so-called Blue Cut Fire, named for a narrow gorge near its origin. The containment lines were established on the east side of the fire in an area where evacuees were already allowed to return in the afternoon, so it’s unlikely to lead to more canceled evacuations.
Firefighters have yet to tally property losses but indicate there have been many.
Drought-stricken California has been hit with waves of wildfires this summer, fueled by dry conditions, heat and dead brush.
Meanwhile, a new fire broke out in rural Santa Barbara County, quickly surging to about 500 acres and prompting the evacuation of a pair of campgrounds.
Authorities estimated that only half the 4,500 residents of Wrightwood heeded evacuation orders.
Vegetation that dry behaved nearly like firewood, Sean Collins of the Kern County Fire Department told the AP.
A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyons, instantly engulfing homes and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead of the flames. “It burns that much quicker, that much hotter”, Collins said.
“This moved so fast”, said Darren Dalton, 51, who along with his wife and son had to get out of his house in Wrightwood.
No fire-related deaths have been reported so far.
Advertisement
Interstate 15 is open in both directions through the Cajon Pass, but officials are urging motorists to drive with caution through the area, as some equipment is still nearby. Matthew Porter was in Rio with the medal-winning team when the house burned. The 40-year-old construction worker appeared in court Wednesday, but he did not enter a plea.
