SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., July 17 (UPI) — A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California jumped a busy freeway around rush hour Friday, setting several vehicles and homes on fire and torching nearly 4,000 acres of land — the flames from which could be seen for miles, fire officials said.
The North Fire reached Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass — about 65 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains — on Friday afternoon. It started around 2:30 p.m. local time and had consumed about 3,500 acres by Friday evening, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.
Fire officials said on Twitter that at least four homes have so far been destroyed and mandatory evacuations were issued for nearby areas. At least 20 vehicles were also destroyed and several more were damaged.
Drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles on the crowded freeway just before rush hour, and fire crews were delayed in their arrival at the scene by traffic.
Helicopters dropped fire retardant on the burning vehicles as some of the drivers looked on from the freeway’s shoulder.
According to authorities, 22 engines, two water tenders, two airplanes, three helicopters and six fixed-wing air tankers are fighting the blaze.
Josh Wilkins with the San Bernardino County Fire Department told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles high winds between 40 and 45 mph caused the blaze to spread.
It wasn’t immediately known whether anyone was injured, but the fire department tweeted earlier that “MassCasualty incident dispatched for possible multiple civilian burn victims.”
Authorities said all southbound lanes of I-15, the main traffic artery between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and two northbound lanes were closed.
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