Wizdom
24-10-03, 23:08
Wildfire burns toward Los Angeles suburbs
Arson suspected cause of blaze, officials say
Friday, October 24, 2003 Posted: 5:34 PM EDT (2134 GMT)
Riverside County firefighters watch as flames approach new homes Friday in Rancho Cugamonga, California.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story Tools
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIDEO
Wildfires endanger communities in Southern California, including suburbs of Los Angeles, and a news crew gets caught up in the fireline
PLAY VIDEO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Prix wildfire engulfs a helicopter on the ground in Southern California
PLAY VIDEO
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.
Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
Manage alerts | What is this?
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California (CNN) -- Heavy smoke blotted the sun from the sky above Rancho Cucamonga Friday as a wind-driven wildfire blazed across the hills north of the eastern Los Angeles suburb.
Two hundred homes have been evacuated and residents of 150 more have been told to prepare to leave quickly if necessary.
Arson is suspected as a possible cause of the blaze, officials said.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds swept down Day Canyon faster than expected, Rancho Cucamonga city spokesman Duane Baker told CNN, which whipped the long line of orange flames toward the northern city limits and forced firefighters to rush into action.
"The wind certainly makes this a fast-moving situation," Baker said. "It makes it a much more fluid situation than it has been."
Baker said officials hadn't expected the winds to kick up until late Friday or early Saturday, but instead the Santa Anas blew in overnight Thursday -- with 40 mph gusts amid a steady 10-15 mph breeze -- and the fire crept close to hundreds of homes.
The swirling winds have prevented fire crews from launching fixed-wing aircraft to fight the blaze.
"We have fire engines, strike teams going into the neighborhoods that are evacuated," Baker said. "We're going to do everything possible not to let that fire transfer to any homes."
Unfortunately for firefighters and residents, conditions are likely to get worse this weekend, CNN meteorologist Orelon Sydney said.
The National Weather Service predicts that low humidity and sustained winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will persist in the region through Monday afternoon.
"[The winds are] going to get worse over the weekend and probably not diminish until the middle of next week," Sydney said. "It's a pretty typical Santa Ana condition."
An aerial view of the fire's source is seen here on Friday afternoon.
More than 1,400 firefighters were on the scene to battle the blaze, dubbed the Grand Prix fire, which had consumed nearly 4,000 acres near the San Bernardino National Forest by late Friday morning.
Area schools and roads were closed, including Interstate 15, which runs from Southern California to Las Vegas and beyond, and Interstate 210, which runs east-to-west through the region. Officials had ordered mandatory evacuations of nearby Lytle Creek, Upper Lytle Creek and the areas north of Banyan to Interstate 15, and east of Day Creek.
The National Forest Service reported one man was injured overnight as he tried to battle flames threatening his home. The man, whose name was not released, had rejected an evacuation that was ordered overnight in the Lytle Creek area, northeast of Rancho Cucamonga and about 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The man was treated for burns to his hands and arms, officials said.
Fire officials said three firefighters had suffered minor injuries, but none as a direct result of the fire.
The wildfire was only one of several blazing in Southern California this week, destroying five houses and charring about 11,000 acres, according to The Associated Press.
Spel foutje jongens, probeerde Verenigde Staten te schrijven maar verwisselde op wonderbaarlijke wijze de T en de E voor 2 maal een a...kan het niet meer corrigeren... :wink:
Arson suspected cause of blaze, officials say
Friday, October 24, 2003 Posted: 5:34 PM EDT (2134 GMT)
Riverside County firefighters watch as flames approach new homes Friday in Rancho Cugamonga, California.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story Tools
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIDEO
Wildfires endanger communities in Southern California, including suburbs of Los Angeles, and a news crew gets caught up in the fireline
PLAY VIDEO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Prix wildfire engulfs a helicopter on the ground in Southern California
PLAY VIDEO
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.
Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
Manage alerts | What is this?
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California (CNN) -- Heavy smoke blotted the sun from the sky above Rancho Cucamonga Friday as a wind-driven wildfire blazed across the hills north of the eastern Los Angeles suburb.
Two hundred homes have been evacuated and residents of 150 more have been told to prepare to leave quickly if necessary.
Arson is suspected as a possible cause of the blaze, officials said.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds swept down Day Canyon faster than expected, Rancho Cucamonga city spokesman Duane Baker told CNN, which whipped the long line of orange flames toward the northern city limits and forced firefighters to rush into action.
"The wind certainly makes this a fast-moving situation," Baker said. "It makes it a much more fluid situation than it has been."
Baker said officials hadn't expected the winds to kick up until late Friday or early Saturday, but instead the Santa Anas blew in overnight Thursday -- with 40 mph gusts amid a steady 10-15 mph breeze -- and the fire crept close to hundreds of homes.
The swirling winds have prevented fire crews from launching fixed-wing aircraft to fight the blaze.
"We have fire engines, strike teams going into the neighborhoods that are evacuated," Baker said. "We're going to do everything possible not to let that fire transfer to any homes."
Unfortunately for firefighters and residents, conditions are likely to get worse this weekend, CNN meteorologist Orelon Sydney said.
The National Weather Service predicts that low humidity and sustained winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will persist in the region through Monday afternoon.
"[The winds are] going to get worse over the weekend and probably not diminish until the middle of next week," Sydney said. "It's a pretty typical Santa Ana condition."
An aerial view of the fire's source is seen here on Friday afternoon.
More than 1,400 firefighters were on the scene to battle the blaze, dubbed the Grand Prix fire, which had consumed nearly 4,000 acres near the San Bernardino National Forest by late Friday morning.
Area schools and roads were closed, including Interstate 15, which runs from Southern California to Las Vegas and beyond, and Interstate 210, which runs east-to-west through the region. Officials had ordered mandatory evacuations of nearby Lytle Creek, Upper Lytle Creek and the areas north of Banyan to Interstate 15, and east of Day Creek.
The National Forest Service reported one man was injured overnight as he tried to battle flames threatening his home. The man, whose name was not released, had rejected an evacuation that was ordered overnight in the Lytle Creek area, northeast of Rancho Cucamonga and about 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The man was treated for burns to his hands and arms, officials said.
Fire officials said three firefighters had suffered minor injuries, but none as a direct result of the fire.
The wildfire was only one of several blazing in Southern California this week, destroying five houses and charring about 11,000 acres, according to The Associated Press.
Spel foutje jongens, probeerde Verenigde Staten te schrijven maar verwisselde op wonderbaarlijke wijze de T en de E voor 2 maal een a...kan het niet meer corrigeren... :wink: