The Blue Cut Fire burns in the San Bernardino National Forest, off Interstate 15, on Tuesday – prompting mandatory evacuations in the area and closing parts of at least two major highways, officials said.
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The 15,000-acre blaze has prompted evacuation orders for about 34,500 homes and 82,000 people and includes the ski resort town of Wrightwood, scattered ranches and desert communities such as Phelan.
Structures have been destroyed in the fire, but fire officials said they couldn’t provide estimates of how many homes or buildings were burned.
The Bluecut Fire, which erupted on Tuesday morning and has grown to cover some 18,000 acres (7,300 hectares) of heavy brush in an area called the Cajon Pass, was zero percent contained as of Tuesday night, fire officials said.
Interstate 15, the main highway to Las Vegas, is closed from Oak Hills to Devore, and Highway 138 is closed from Highway 2 to Summit Valley Road. The fire’s location is about 65 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Wildfires are common in California and other western states during the warm summer months. The restaurant claimed Elvis Presley was once one of their customers, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A 10-day-old wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles is finally fully surrounded. You also help firefighters by keeping roads clear of congestion, enabling them to move more freely and do their job.
Fire investigators accused Damin Anthony Pashilk of setting the Clayton Fire on Saturday and already it has scorched more than 4,000 acres.
But even longtime observers were surprised by the staggering speed of the Southern California fire.
Houk added that wind gusts will range from 25 to 35 miles per hour that can fan the flames and create more a risky situation for those battling the blaze.
It was among several large fires burning up and down California, from Shasta County in the far north to Camp Pendleton Marine base in San Diego County.
In San Luis Obispo, a 6,400-acre fire has destroyed 12 homes and structures and damaged 20 others.
Neither the California Department of Forestry, which led the investigation that resulted in Pashilk’s arrest Monday, nor the Lake County sheriff would discuss what led authorities to him.
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Two firefighters were lightly injured by the blaze, which some 700 fire personnel are battling, according to Inciweb.
