(Los Angeles) Thousands of Californian firefighters were fighting a fire that threatened many residents on Sunday near the city of San Bernardino, about 100 kilometers east of Los Angeles.
Posted on August 2 2020 at 13 h 38
France Media Agency
The “Apple Fire” which broke out late Friday afternoon has already devastated more than 8300 hectares in the Cherry Valley and the National Forest of San Bernardino, southern California.
Smoke from charred vegetation was visible for miles across the region, prompting the South Coast Air Quality Management Department to issue an alert on Saturday evening.
At least 2600 homes and nearly 7800 people had to be evacuated and the firefighters were not in able to announce when residents could return home.
At 08 h, more than 1300 fire soldiers, assisted by helicopters, trucks and bombers were deployed in the area.
After having succeeded in containing 11% of the fire at the start of the day, the fire was no longer contained at the start of the day. afternoon and continued to gain weight.
No casualties have yet been reported, the damage being limited to two buildings and a house.
The northern and southern edges of the fire are located in steep and rugged hillsides, inaccessible to fire trucks, authorities said.
Dense vegetation also fueled the fire which continued to burn with great intensity near homes, said Fernando Herrera, Riverside County fire captain on Friday.
Fire activity is expected to remain high on Sunday, due to hot temperatures and drought.
An investigation is underway to determine the origin of the fire, which could be criminal.
