A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California’s Cajon Pass exploded to 6,500 acres in five hours, forcing thousands in the town of Wrightwood to flee.
With low humidity and temperatures in the triple digits, the so-called Bluecut fire, first reported around 10:30 a.m. PDT near Interstate 15, is burning uncontrollably, KTLA.com reported. Four and a half hours after it was sparked, the inferno had torched 5,500 acres of land.
An unknown number of structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfire in the first few hours, according to the Los Angeles Times, and two firefighters sustained minor injuries.
The entire town of Wrightwood was placed under a mandatory evacuation order late Tuesday afternoon, KTLA.com also reported. The population of Wrightwood is about 4,500.
Some 700 firefighters are battling the blaze, according to InciWeb. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“We’re seeing very aggressive fire behavior, burning through the brush,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bob Poole told KTLA.com. “This is difficult to get in front of this and try to corral it.
“It looks like it’s going to be a long night right now.”
Charges Filed in Northern California’s Clayton Fire
A man has been charged in connection with a number of California wildfires, including the Clayton fire in northern California, where more than 175 buildings have been destroyed over the past few days.
Damin Anthony Pashilk, 40, of Clearlake, California, was arrested on 17 counts of arson in connection with several fires in Lake County over the past year, including the Clayton fire, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin and Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the Associated Press.
“Mr. Pashilk committed a horrific crime and we will seek prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. My thoughts continue to be with the people of Lake County during this difficult time,” Pimlott said.
Pimlott told the Los Angeles Times that Pashilk had been under investigation for about a year.
Just one year after a wildfire claimed four lives and more than 1,300 homes in Lake County, more than 1,600 firefighters continue to battle the fast-moving Clayton fire in the same area near northern California’s Lower Lake that has destroyed an additional 175 buildings, including an estimated 100 homes, and has forced the evacuation of 4,000 people.
“We are all devastated to have so much destruction,” Melissa Fulton, chief executive officer of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, told the Sacramento Bee. “We feel we were put through hell last year and now we are in it again.”
Cal Fire reported on Tuesday that the Clayton fire has consumed 4,000 acres and is now 20 percent contained.
The blaze was first reported just before 5 p.m. Saturday in the area of Clayton Creek Road and Highway 29, according to the Associated Press.
The flames jumped a road Sunday and moved into the town of 1,200, where a post office, a winery, a Habitat for Humanity office and several other businesses were destroyed. The high school is still unharmed, according to SFGate.com, but the sports fields were burned, and classes have been canceled indefinitely.
“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.
Although there has been massive loss of property in this fire, no injuries have been reported.
Chimney Fire Continues to Grow in Central California
A wildfire burning in San Luis Obispo County, California has grown to 6,400 acres, destroyed 12 homes, damaged 20 more and forced the evacuation of hundreds, according to Cal Fire.
The so-called Chimney fire, which began around 4 p.m. on Saturday southwest of Lake Nacimiento in the community of Running Deer Ranch, remains at 10 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, according to Cal Fire.
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.
Cal Fire reports that 1,675 personnel are tackling the blaze, along with 200 engines, five helicopters, seven air tanks, 39 hand crews and 26 dozers, according to the release.
Cal Fire said the fire “continues to burn actively with short range spotting and torching observed.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
https://weather.com/news/news/california-wildfires-bluecut-fire-clayton-fire