A drone flying near the San Bernardino blaze forced crews to abandon airdrops, marking the third time in a matter of weeks that firefighters in the region have been grounded because of the devices, officials said.
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A fast-moving fire in Southern California overran a packed freeway on Friday, setting fire to 20 vehicles as panicked drivers scrambled for safety.
While the focus was the freeway, the fire was marching toward rural communities in Baldy Mesa area.
He said the wind was blowing at 15 to 20 miles per hour, which helped the fire spread.
Stewart says the day after the drone appeared over the Douglas County Complex fire in Washington, a production company posted video of the fire online, but she doubts she can conclusively prove the company was operating in closed airspace. The 15 Freeway is the main route between Southern California and Las Vegas.
Henry Becerra, whose vehicle was destroyed in the fire, was driving from Hesperia to Los Angeles when he saw the flames jump the highway near the Cajon Pass.
Dozens of vehicles were abandoned on the freeway as drivers fled the flames.
The incident was the fourth time in a span of a month that a drone hindered efforts to contain a wildfire in Southern California, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Lee Beyer told the Associated Press. Earlier they dumped their loads on burning cars, now they tried to stop the advance of the flames, burning the chaparral on the hillsides.
There have been no injuries, the US Forest Service said.
“To our left, it was like a spark and then five minutes later the freeway was engulfed”, she said.
When situations like the one in Cajon Pass erupt, cooperation between firefighters and the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies is crucial to keeping people safe, Humphrey said.
The North Fire has scorched some 3,500 acres of brush, burned a number of vehicles, burned five homes and is threatening other houses, San Bernardino fire officials reported. The 200-acre Pine fire was only 5% contained Saturday morning, fire officials said.
Three homes and eight outbuildings, including sheds and barns, burned as a result of the fire, according to the San Bernardino National Forest. Members of Girl Scout troop stationed in the vicinity evacuated their campground, while other 300 campers were also evacuated by local authorities.
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It being a Friday afternoon, however, Interstate 15 was typically jammed with vehicles traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
