Homes burn, thousands flee as fire chars 30,000 acres in Southern California's Cajon Pass
LYTLE CREEK, Calif. _ An explosive brush fire that has ripped through more than 30,000 acres of hills, canyons and flatlands in Southern California's Cajon Pass has bewildered veteran firefighters who fear the flames will only worsen.
"It hit hard, it hit fast _ it hit with an intensity that we haven't seen before," San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said.
With the Blue Cut fire heading in several directions since it broke out Tuesday morning, more than 80,000 people in rural San Bernardino County communities have been forced to flee. An unknown number of homes were destroyed, and there is no containment in sight.
Firefighters have been put on the defense, and officials are bracing for an immense tally of devastation from flames fed by strong winds, dehydrated tinder and triple-digit heat.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service said assessment teams and cadaver dogs would be sent to homes and structures along Highway 138.
_Los Angeles Times
