Firenadoes rage in California as blaze menaces 82,000

More than 34,500 homes were threatened and 82,640 people
were under evacuation warnings as firenadoes — tornado-
like flaming vortexes — rage in California (AFP Photo/Robyn
Beck)
Weary firefighters Thursday battled a raging
inferno that was threatening the homes of more
than 82,000 people in southern California and sent
flaming “firenadoes” tearing across the brush.
Nearly 1,600 firefighters were fighting the giant
blaze, but had only contained four percent of it,
according to a fire service official.
Dramatic local TV news footage captured from the
front line of the wildfire in the town of Phelan
showed tornado-like flaming vortexes — known as
“firenadoes” — sent spinning into the air by the
ferocity of the blaze.
“We have very, very dry brush — thick fuel — it
helps move it (the fire) along very quickly,” Lynne
Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the state firefighting
agency Cal Fire, told AFP.
“It is very dangerous to the public and also to the
firefighters.”
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of
emergency for San Bernardino County, just 60 miles
(100 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, where the so-
called Bluecut Fire was quickly growing, its cause
still unclear.
The inferno began around 10:30 am (1730 GMT)
Tuesday and has already burned through 25,626
acres (10,370 hectares) according to the multi-
agency Inciweb information site.
The size of the fire was down from the 30,000 acres
reported earlier due to better mapping of the area,
the Los Angeles Times reported.
More than 34,500 homes were threatened and
82,640 people were under evacuation warnings.
“There is an imminent threat to public safety, rail
traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek,
Wrightwood, Oak Hills and surrounding areas,”
Inciweb said.
– ‘Not worth your life’ –
A dozen fire trucks waited for orders to evacuate
Paso Lane, located between several hills that were
being devoured by flames, columns of smoke
billowing into the sky.
“The whole community is being evacuated,” said
local firefighter Mike Anderson, who had been
battling the blaze with his team for more than 24
straight hours.
“The fire is moving very fast straight through
Highway 138, it is still growing.”
Chon Bribiescas of the US Forest Service said later
that the evacuation area was being expanded, with
the wind picking up and the temperature soaring to
100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).
“The fire is consuming 100 acres in a few minutes
instead of 100 per hour,” he told AFP, adding that
many residents had decided against the best advice
to remain in their homes.
“In California, we cannot force people from their
homes, but that means we have firefighters that
have to come back to the mandatory evacuation
zones instead of fighting the fire.
“I try to tell people that there is nothing in your
home that is worth your life.”
At a gas station in the outpost of Pinon Hills, 10
miles northwest of the fire, Jeannine Yglesia was
buying ice with her 24-year-old son.
“I have 17 to 18 people staying at my house now,
friends and their families that have had to evacuate
from Wrightwood,” she said.
Gail Nieto, a 65-year-old woman buying groceries,
was forced to flee Wrightwood on Tuesday night.
“It’s the fourth time in 30 years, but it’s the fastest-
growing fire I have ever seen,” she said, trembling.
– Perfect conditions –
Among equipment deployed were 152 fire engines,
eight air tankers plus two Very Large Air Tankers
(VLATs), and eight helicopters, including night-
flying helicopters.
The inferno has claimed one high-profile victim so
far: the Summit Inn, an old-fashioned diner on the
world-famous Route 66 that counted celebrities
Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood among its clientele.
Several roads were closed while two firefighters
were injured after they were surrounded by flames.
They were treated at a hospital and sent back out to
fight the blaze, Inciweb said.
Elaine Bowder, 75, another resident living in the
inferno’s path, said she may lose her new house.
“We have our important things and we are
insured,” she said. “But we had to leave one of our
cats at home.”
“I’m very upset. I’m very attached to her,” she
added, breaking down in tears.
California is in its fifth year of a record drought,

with parts experiencing a heat wave and strong
seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana winds, a
recipe for perfect wildfire conditions.
Thousands of firefighters are already committed to
several other major fires — north of San Francisco,
in central California’s wine region and in the scenic
coastal area of Big Sur.