A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyons, instantly engulfing homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead of the.
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Over 1,500 firefighters are reportedly trying to quell the Blue Cut wildfire, but so far only four percent of it has been contained.
“This moved so fast”, Darren Dalton, 51, who evacuated from his home in Wrightwood, told the Associated Press.
In the Southern California fire, air tankers spent Thursday bombarding rugged slopes with fire retardant, and a squadron of helicopters dropped load after load of water to corral flames.
Both sides of Interstate 15, which travels through the Cajon Pass, were open Thursday and some evacuations were lifted as the ferocious, so-called Blue Cut Fire charred 31,600 acres in San Bernardino County. They reportedly survived by sheltering in place in a nearby structure. “We just hunkered down and sat there and waited for the fire to blow over”. Driven by wind and low humidity, the fire chewed through tall grasses and drought-parched shrubs, torching an unknown number of homes and vehicles.
On Tuesday, the fire tore through neighborhoods in the community of Phelan, with home after home going up in flames.
Fire tornadoes are erupting out of rampant wildfires east of Los Angeles, according to local media reports.
“Most of the areas where there was structural damage, they’re still smoldering”, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jake Rodriguez said.
All schools will be closed Wednesday in the Snowline, Hesperia Unified, Silver Valley, Apple Valley and Oro Grande school districts, KTLA.com also reported.
Damin Pashilk is charged with starting the blaze along with more than a dozen other counts of arson and one of attempted arson in connection with fires dating back to July 2015.
Such crimes are rarely prosecuted, according to the American Bar Association. “My thoughts continue to be with the people of Lake County during this hard time”, Pimlott said.
“By the time I came in and told [John] and we both came outside again, it was just massive”, she said of the fire. “We feel we were put through hell previous year and now we are in it again”.
“The smoke was so thick, and as soon as the smoke cleared, we could see that everything was gone”, said Crystal Armstrong, who lost her home.
The Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino is burning out of control in California, causing over 80,000 evacuations and destroying homes and landmarks, with map from August 18, 2016.
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The fire command says the destructive blaze has scorched more than 49 square miles as of Thursday morning, up from 40 square miles Wednesday night.
