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California wildfire sweeps across freeway, destroying vehicles California wildfire sweeps across freeway, destroying vehicles
(about 5 hours later)
A fast-moving wildfire that swept across a freeway in a California mountain pass torched at least a half-dozen cars and a tractor trailer as motorists abandoned their vehicles and ran to safety. A fast-moving wildfire has swept across a southern California freeway in a mountain pass, destroying 20 vehicles and sending motorists running to safety before burning at least four structures. Two people had minor injuries, authorities said.
The fire swept by desert winds burned on both sides of Interstate 15, the main connector between southern California and Las Vegas that was crowded with vehicles. The fire started in the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15 the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas and quickly chewed through bone-dry brush. As flames closed in, drivers and passengers ran from their vehicles.
Dozens of vehicles were abandoned and hundreds of others turned on to side roads to get away from the flames as water-dropping helicopters flew overhead. Lance Andrade, a 29-year-old railroad conductor from Apple Valley, was stopped in traffic when the fire jumped the freeway and panicked people started running toward him. He also ran, but with flames all around, there was nowhere to go.
Motorists stuck on the road described a harrowing scene. A firefighter told everyone to take cover. Andrade, four other men, and two elderly women got inside the back of a semi-truck. One of the women had been separated from her family began crying, and everyone was terrified.
“You could hear the explosions from people’s vehicle tires popping from the heat,” Andrade said. “You could hear crackling, smoke was coming in every direction. You could feel the heat. We just waited it out and prayed to God.”
Russell Allevato, 45, of Southgate, Michigan, was traveling from Las Vegas to Los Angeles with his two teenage daughters, his nephew and his nephew’s girlfriend.
“It was total smoke and all the cars just started to stack and the fire got closer to us, and everyone started running up the hill,” he said. “Hundreds and hundreds of people running up the hill.” Their rental car was among those destroyed.
“All our stuff was charred and gone,” Allevato said by phone as he rode in the back of a California Highway Patrol vehicle.
Television helicopters carried the scene live as the flames leapt from vehicle to vehicle while water-dropping helicopters and then firefighters on the freeway battled to get control.
In the midst of the chaos fire officials said aircraft sent to douse the flames were briefly delayed after five drones were spotted above the blaze. It was the fourth time in a span of a month that a drone disrupted efforts to suppress a wildfire in southern California, US Forest Service spokesman Lee Beyer said.
A car-carrying tractor-trailer and a boat were among the losses left smouldering on the highway. Dozens of vehicles were abandoned and hundreds of others turned onto side roads in the rugged area about 55 miles north-east of Los Angeles.
“It’s crazy, you’re watching black clouds and white clouds of smoke, there’s a ridgeline off to my right ... and it looks like any second flames will come over the ridgeline,” Chris Patterson, 43, said from his vehicle.“It’s crazy, you’re watching black clouds and white clouds of smoke, there’s a ridgeline off to my right ... and it looks like any second flames will come over the ridgeline,” Chris Patterson, 43, said from his vehicle.
US forest service spokesman Uriah Hernandez said some areas were evacuated in the Cajon Pass area along the freeway, about 55 miles (88km) north-east of Los Angeles. As firefighters gained control on the freeway, the flames spread to 3,500 acres (1,416ha) and burned at least four structures in the rural community of Baldy Mesa. About 50 more were threatened.
This fire led authorities to shut several freeway lanes, causing traffic to back up for miles. About 1,000 firefighters were battling the fire. It was 5% contained, Beyer said.
California highway patrol spokesman Steve Carapia said scores of vehicles were left abandoned on the freeway. California is in the midst of severe drought and wildfires are common. Some break out near freeways but it’s very unusual to have vehicles caught in the flames.
Raquel Martinez, 34, was traveling to Las Vegas with her husband for the weekend when they got stuck in northbound traffic on the I-15 for about an hour.
The sky darkened to black. As they drove by cars were covered in “pink powder” in the form of fire retardant. Cars meanwhile were being redirected up narrow twisty emergency lanes from the southbound side headed north.
“I haven’t seen a fire that big and so close to us. It really was huge,” Martinez said.