Authorities say they’re not sure how many homes have been destroyed, but that the number is large.
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Over 1,500 personnel are at the scene Thursday.
The Blue Cut fire erupted in Southern California on Tuesday, burning thousands of acres and forcing evacuations for entire communities.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County, and over 82,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the path of the fire, for shelters set up by The Red Cross.
“The intensity, the speed, the breadth, width of this fire, and how fast.I’ve not seen anything like this”, Hartwig said.
“The reason I stayed was the reason we’re still here We didn’t burn you’ll notice, it went around us”, he said. “I have not seen this kind of fire behavior”.
The so-called Chimney fire, which began around 4 p.m. on Saturday southwest of Lake Nacimiento in the community of Running Deer Ranch, was 25 percent contained as of late Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
By Wednesday, greater stretches of California Highway 138 and Interstate 15, the major route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, were closed.
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.
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.
Dozens of homes have so far been destroyed Reuters Firefighter tackles blaze.
Air tankers bombarded rugged slopes with fire retardant Thursday and a squadron of helicopters dropped load after load of water to corral a destructive wildfire threatening mountain homes 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
At a dawn briefing, half the firefighters raised their hands when asked how many had just come from an earlier blaze, part of a siege of infernos burning across California this year.
One major fire, north of San Francisco, was fading and about 4,000 people in the town of Clearlake were allowed to return home.
Investigators in Northern California said Tuesday they had been building a case against the suspected arsonist, 40-year-old construction worker Damin Anthony Pashilk, for more than a year.
Sgt. Jeff Nichols of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told The Tribune that some 250 homes have been evacuated in the area. The cause is still under investigation. The California Air National Guard also announced Wednesday it would be sending aircraft to support the firefighting efforts.
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Southern California firefighters face another day of hard weather conditions as they battle a huge wildfire that has driven more than 80,000 people from their homes and shut down major transportation routes.
