Parts of other roadways – including State Route 2, Highway 38 and Highway 395 -are also closed.
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The devastating Blue Cut Fire that has destroyed 96 homes and scorched almost 58 square miles, or 37,000 acres, in San Bernardino County, authorities said Friday, the fourth day of the blaze.
On Monday, the fire in Lower Lake, Calif., was 5% contained and fire officials said they expected the flames to continue to be aggressive, spurred by temperatures in the 90s. Scenes of destruction were everywhere Thursday after a huge wildfire sped through mountains and hi. Maricopa Fire Department spokesman Brad Pitassi from Arizona said numerous 1,600 firefighters called to battle the blaze as it raced over miles of bone-dry forest and grass lands would be sent home later Friday if the situation continued to improve.
A helicopter makes a water drop during the Soberanes fire off of Rancho San Carlos Road near Carmel Valley, California, July 29, 2016.
While the east side of the fire near the desert was brought partly under control and some evacuees on that side were allowed to return home, the west side’s hillsides were still showing heavy flames and thick smoke. A growing percentage of wildfires are started by humans, says Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at UC Berkeley, particularly in Southern California where the population in fire-danger areas is increasing exponentially.
Local television stations showed several gutted homes. “Crews really buttoned up some areas, but the possibility is still there for explosive growth”, fire spokesman Brad Pitassi said.
The interstate was shut down Tuesday when the fast-moving fire erupted 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
Some families who fled a massive wildfire in Southern California are starting to learn about the fate of their homes.
Angie Santore was in school when flames roared through the house she shared with her grandparents, four dogs, six cats and a hamster.
A group of animal rescue volunteers found the house in smoldering ruins – with no signs of the pets. The wildfire was only 4 percent contained and over 82,000 people were evacuated as of Thursday morning.
But the day also brought the biggest gains yet against the blaze, with containment jumping from 22 percent, up from just 4 percent when the day began.
“When I saw the fire coming over the ridge, I knew we didn’t have a chance”, David Barreda, who lost his home to the inferno, told SFGate.com.
Firefighters overnight made more progress containing a wildfire burning two hours north of San Francisco.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
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The Blue Cut fire is one of almost 30 major blazes reported to have scorched some hundreds of square miles in eight Western states this week, in the midst of a wildfire season stoked by prolonged drought and unusually hot weather, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The high fire potential in California will continue during the season’s peak this month and through November, perhaps even until the first snowfall.
