Thousands flee homes as California burns

AFP, LOS ANGELES: Firefighters battled Thursday to douse a series of wildfires fueled by high winds, scorching temperatures and dry vegetation, which have forced tens of thousands of Californians to flee their homes.
A blaze scorching sections of the Angeles National Forest, in southern California, two huge infernos in the central part of the state and another fire further north have displaced entire
towns.
“Our fire activity has definitely picked up in past weeks in number and severity,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Angeles forest fire—dubbed “Blue Cut”—has devoured 31,000 acres (12,545 hectares), an area more than twice the size of Bermuda, and is just four percent contained.
The fire has been spreading at such an alarming pace that it appears as if it were “running at you,” according to Michael Lopez, a spokesman for fire information website Inciweb.

 

Thousands flee homes as California burns

AFP, LOS ANGELES: Firefighters battled Thursday to douse a series of wildfires fueled by high winds, scorching temperatures and dry vegetation, which have forced tens of thousands of Californians to flee their homes. A blaze scorching sections of the Angeles National Forest, in southern California, two huge infernos in the central part of the state and another fire further north have displaced entire towns. Our fire activity has definitely picked up in past weeks in number and severity, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Angeles forest firedubbed Blue Cuthas devoured 31,000 acres (12,545 hectares), an area more than twice the size of Bermuda, and is just four percent contained. The fire has been spreading at such an alarming pace that it appears as if it were running at you, according to Michael Lopez, a spokesman for fire information website Inciweb.