California wildfire chases thousands from homes

 

A fire tearing through Southern California's Angeles National Forest exploded to nearly 40 square miles on Sunday and forced evacuations of homes.

LOS ANGELES -- Firefighters worked to protect hundreds of homes threatened by a wildfire in the Angeles National Forest after shifting winds and extreme heat more than doubled its size Sunday to nearly 40 square miles.

Aided by 16 liquid-dropping airplanes and helicopters, more than 2,000 federal and local firefighters battled the blaze and tried to steer it away from three mountain communities, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ron Ashdale said.

Moderating weather conditions were aiding efforts. Temperatures were in the mid-80s Sunday, down from Saturday when the heat was well over 100 degrees and changing winds whipped the fire in varying directions.

But winds remained strong at 20 to 25 mph with gusts of 40 to 50 mph, making the fire unpredictable.

"That is creating havoc and a huge impact on our operations,'' Los Angeles County Fire Deputy Chief David Richardson said.

The blaze was named the Powerhouse Fire because it began near a hydroelectric plant that sends electricity to Los Angeles. Several power transmission lines were downed.

The fire grew by 15,000 acres early Sunday and another 5,000 acres in the afternoon to an estimated 25,000 acres or 39 square miles, Norm Walker, fire incident commander, said.

It was feasting on abundant fuel — dry, old-growth chaparral — in an area that had not burned since 1929.

Three helicopters made rare and risky night drops of fire retardant.

"We have put everything we have into this,'' Walker said.

Ashdale said about 1,000 homes, many on large rural lots, were evacuated over the weekend. The fire was moving away from those homes by Sunday afternoon, he said, but the area remained under evacuation orders due to uncertain conditions.

"The way the fire is moving now, there's still a threat because the wind could change and turn it right around,'' he said. "Yesterday it (the wind) changed four times.''

Six homes have been destroyed and about 10 more damaged, fire officials said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Coleman said more than 700 homes and 2,800 people were ordered to evacuate Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lakes communities. He said another 250 homes and 1,000 people in the Green Valley community were threatened but not yet ordered to evacuate.

The fire, which began Thursday afternoon, was 20% contained.

"It's overwhelming," Lake Hughes resident John Baldyga told KCAL-TV. "I've been up here over 30 years. This ain't my first fire, but it's the worst that I've seen."

Ashdale said residents recognized the threat and most left as requested.

"A lot of these folks are kind of accustomed to this," Ashdale said. "They have been very cooperative."

The Red Cross set up an evacuation center in Palmdale, a city in the high desert of northern Los Angeles County, at the edge of the Antelope Valley and just north of the San Gabriel Mountains where the fire was burning. Several animal evacuation centers were also established; large animals went to the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/02/wildfires-california-mexico-evacuation/2381805/