Southern California wildfire forces evacuations

[Psalm 51:17]

Southern California wildfire forces evacuations
http://news.yahoo.com/southern-california-wildfire-forces-evacuations-222812501.html
4/30/14

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wind-driven brush fire burning out of control in a drought-parched Southern California wildland on Wednesday forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents in the northern part of suburban Rancho Cucamonga, officials said.

The wildfire, which sent smoke billowing down the foothills toward large suburban houses, comes amid hot weather and fierce Santa Ana winds blowing in the region that had already prompted the National Weather Service to issue a wildfire-related "red flag" warning for much of the area.

The so-called Etiwanda Fire marks one of the first major wildfires of the year in Southern California, and comes just ahead of the hotter months between, May and October, when the blazes most frequently break out.

The blaze broke out in the San Bernardino National Forest at about 8 a.m. and quickly spread across 800 acres, driven by winds of up to 80 miles per hour (129 km/h), which is extremely gusty for the region, officials said.

Television news footage showed bright orange flames in the brush, near towers for power transmission lines. Parents and students rushed away from local schools enveloped in smoky air, their hair and shirts flapping in the wind.

The blaze east of Los Angeles prompted authorities to issue mandatory evacuation orders for an area in northern Rancho Cucamonga that has 1,100 homes and 2,500 people living in them, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Chon Bribiescas. Rancho Cucamonga is a largely middle class suburban city.

Officials have deployed 30 fire engines against the blaze, according to wildfire tracking site InciWeb. But because of the high winds, officials have not been able to deploy aircraft to fight the fire.

California officials have kept staffing levels for wildland firefighters at elevated levels since last year because the state is in the midst of its worst drought in decades.

Governor Jerry Brown has issued emergency proclamations related to the drought, calling on residents to avoid washing their cars and watering their lawns.

"The drought has absolutely set the stage for a potentially very busy and very dangerous fire season," said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Daniel Berlant.

"As we move into the summer months, conditions are only going to get hotter, they're only going to get dryer, and so the likelihood of large and damaging fires increases," he said.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://local.msn.com/southern-california-wildfire-grows-to-800-acres-1
Southern California wildfire grows to 800 acres

A Southern California wildfire that forced the evacuation of at least 1,100 homes has grown to 800 acres.
4/30/14

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California wildfire that forced the evacuation of at least 1,100 homes has grown to 800 acres.

Fire officials said Wednesday winds gusting to 60 mph are pushing the flames through the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, although no homes are in immediate danger.

Officials said earlier that 200 acres had been charred.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered due to the smoky conditions in parts of Rancho Cucamonga, a city of 165,000 people east of Los Angeles.

Several neighborhoods and at least seven schools have been evacuated.

There's no word on what sparked the blaze, but it comes in the midst of a heat wave that's created extreme fire danger.

[Psalm 51:17]

California Wildfire Burns Through $4 Million in Two Days
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-wildfire-burns-through-4-million-two-days-n132216

A wildfire near Bakersfield, California, fed by heavy winds and dry conditions, had burned through 2,600 acres Monday, and more than $4 million has been spent fighting the flames since they sparked last week.

The fire, which started Friday, prompted officials to order residents of 500 homes near Sequoia National Forest to evacuate, according to the Kern County Sheriff's office. The number of evacuated buildings had not changed since first implemented Friday, but 1,000 buildings were threatened by the fire, said Tom Efird, a battalion chief with the Garden Valley Fire Protection District.

Firefighters made "tremendous progress" laying down fire lines and containing the fire overnight, but those efforts could be undone by winds that were predicted to exceed 20 mph on Monday, Efird said. The fire was 10 percent contained on Monday morning.

The humidity also remained dangerously low on Monday, and the fire was being fueled by parched timber and grass, according to fire officials.

Still, "with everyday we’re getting increased confidence," Efird said, pointing out that the wildfire was the only large fire in California, allowing for crews to focus a huge amount of resources on fighting the flames from the air and the ground.

More than 1,000 firefighters were devoted to containing the fire, and "we've had a tremendous amount of air assets that have helped us hold this fire in check," Efird said.

Two houses were lost in the blaze and one was damaged, but “we don’t see that number going up,” Efird said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Kern County Fire Department.
First published June 16th 2014, 8:32 am

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/california-wildfire-tamed-mexico-blaze-surges-061903093.html
California wildfire tamed, New Mexico blaze surges
6/17/14

LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (AP) — Residents were told they could return to some 1,000 mountain homes on the southern end of California's Sierra Nevada range as firefighters stunted the growth of a wildfire, one of several wildland blazes making problems for western states.

All evacuation orders were lifted Monday night after firefighters had the blaze near Lake Isabella northeast of Bakersfield 50 percent contained, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

The blaze has destroyed three houses, damaged another and forced hundreds to flee their homes. At least two of the burned houses appeared to be abandoned, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.

One other home was damaged by the fire, which charred more than 4 square miles of trees and brush in and around Sequoia National Forest and also threatened power lines and communications facilities.

On Tuesday, firefighters will look to build lines all the way around the blaze, and helicopter water drops and expected calm winds overnight could have them off to a strong start.

"We're hoping we're going to have some good news in the morning," fire spokeswoman Cheryl Chipman said. "It'll depend on how much they can get done and what the wind does."

Meanwhile on the New Mexico-Arizona border, residents of two Native American communities were forced to leave their homes as strong winds fanned the flames of a wildfire burning in the Chuska Mountains.

The fire ballooned to more than 17 square miles, forcing Navajo Nation police to issue an evacuation order for parts of Naschitti and nearby Sheep Springs. About 400 people live in the area, and fire managers said more evacuations could be possible.

The fire was burning unchecked across dry pinon, juniper and brush. Gusts grounded all air support and hampered other efforts to directly attack the fast-moving flames.

"We just can't afford to put anybody in front of this thing," said fire spokeswoman Arlene Perea. "That's the main thing: protecting life."

Authorities did sweeps of sheep herding camps in the hills and evacuated some people. The fire has since burned through those areas, Perea said Monday.

As tribal police worked to notify residents whose homes are scattered among the hills, radio stations aired alerts and Naschitti chapter employees and others spread word of the approaching fire through social media. The chapter house and the community's schools were evacuated Monday afternoon.

In northern Arizona, a 12-acre wildfire that broke out in Oak Creek Canyon was 25 percent contained. The fire that broke out Monday afternoon was just north of a blaze that charred 31 square miles last month in the scenic canyon between Sedona and Flagstaff.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/california-wildfires-grow-north-south-220124170.html
California wildfires grow in north, south
7/3/14

JULIAN, Calif. (AP) — Crews scrambled Thursday to corral a wildfire that burned two homes in Southern California and threatened hundreds of others as an older, larger blaze endangered more homes in rural Northern California.

A blaze that erupted around 10:30 a.m. prompted the mandatory evacuation of 200 homes in central San Diego County near the mountain town of Julian.

Firefighters attacked the 150-acre blaze in the air and on the ground. The fire destroyed two homes and an outbuilding and was 15 percent contained, state fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said.

Julian, an historic gold-mining town and popular tourist spot, canceled its Fourth of July parade and celebration.

There was no immediate word on what sparked the blaze.

The same area near Cleveland National Forest is where an 11-square-mile blaze destroyed more than 100 mountain cabins just a year ago.

Meanwhile, the fire in Northern California's Napa County grew to more than 6.5 square miles as the fire raced uphill. The steep and rugged terrain also forced firefighters to build containment lines without bulldozers, said Alicia Amaro, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The blaze had scorched more than 4,300 acres by its third day, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. It has damaged nine structures, including the two homes.

The fire was burning to the north, away from the county's famed vineyards.

"It has not come anywhere close to what we consider Napa Valley wineries," said Cate Conniff, a spokeswoman for the Napa Valley Vintners, a nonprofit trade association. "It is moving in the opposite direction, and it continues to move that way. We're keeping an eye out on it."

Residents in nearly 200 homes in a subdivision in the county's Pope Valley were allowed to return after an evacuation order was lifted Thursday afternoon, but 180 others remained threatened, state fire officials said.

Despite the fire-containment level plateauing at 30 percent, the nearly 1,100 firefighters on the scene were making steady progress as temperatures climbed into the mid-90s, Berlant said.

However, "it's still growing at a faster rate than we can build containment lines. We're also seeing a bit of a warming pattern, and the winds are picking up as well," Berlant said. "This fire is taking a very aggressive run."

No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.

The fire exploded because of dry conditions across the state caused by the drought, Berlant said. Officials are hoping for full containment early next week.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.msn.com/us/northern-california-wildfire-challenges-crews
Northern California wildfire challenges crews
7/6/14

WINTERS, Calif. (AP) — A rural fire in Northern California raged throughout the night, challenging firefighters Sunday with rising temperatures and the threat of shifting winds, officials said.

State fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said that the so-called Monticello Fire grew in size to 11 square miles, and firefighters have it 30 percent contained. A day earlier, the Yolo County fire had burned 8 square miles.

Firefighters working on the southeast shore of Lake Berryessa on Saturday defended a neighborhood of 40 homes from the flames. Berlant said a potential change in wind could send the flames back in their direction, so an evacuation order remains in place.

"It's going to be much hotter than it has been in the past week," he said. "Our concern is that the wind starts to shift and the fire comes back around."

The National Weather Service predicts temperatures in the area will rise to nearly 100 degrees Sunday.

Berlant said firefighters battling another blaze northwest of Lake Berryessa were being reassigned to attack the Monticello Fire, which erupted Friday night near the Monticello Dam that forms the man-made lake. That fire was 80 percent contained after burning nearly 7 square miles and destroying two homes. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze.

Lake Berryessa, about 75 miles northeast of San Francisco, is a popular recreation spot that attracts many boaters and campers during the July Fourth weekend.

Meanwhile in Southern California, firefighters battling flames near the mountain town of Julian expected to have the fire fully contained today, Berlant said.

Four firefighters were injured, state fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said. The extent of their injuries wasn't immediately clear, and the cause of the fire in central San Diego County was under investigation.

The blaze broke out Thursday, prompting the mandatory evacuation of 200 homes and forcing the cancellation of the town's Fourth of July parade and celebration.

State fire officials said they were bracing for more fires over the next couple of days.

"The holiday weekend is in full swing," Berlant said. "There's still a potential for more fires if the public is not careful."

[Psalm 51:17]

Crews battle wildfires in Washington, California
7/12/14
http://news.yahoo.com/crews-battle-wildfires-washington-california-004637658.html

ENTIAT, Wash. (AP) — Several hundred firefighters worked Friday to contain a fire that has burned grass and brush across nearly 32 square miles in central Washington.

The blaze threatened more than 200 homes and damaged a few outbuildings in Chelan County near Entiat, roughly midway between Seattle and Spokane.

Residents of several dozen homes have been told to evacuate, fire operations spokeswoman Laurie Dowie said. The fire was partially contained by Friday evening. Also, a stretch of highway near the blaze reopened after a temporary closure because of firefighting work in the area.

Worried that hot, dry conditions would increase fire dangers, state officials extended an outdoor burn ban to include all 13 million acres of lands that the state protects.

Meanwhile, firefighters aggressively attacked a California wildfire that was spreading fast after starting Friday afternoon in a remote part of the Sequoia National Forest.

U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Cindy Thill said that the fire started around 2 p.m. and within a couple of hours had burned more than one square mile of the Kiavah Wilderness area. The blaze burned through shrubs and in some places skipped across the treetops, she said.

No homes or giant Sequoia trees were in danger from the fire, but air crews were hitting the flames with tankers and helicopters while hundreds of firefighters head to the scene. The Sequoia National Forest, where the fire started, is south of and geographically separate from the Sequoia National Park east of Fresno, which is home to giant Sequoia trees.

A blaze burning near Spokane was held at less than 2 square miles and was partially contained, spokesman Chuck Turley said Friday afternoon.

Firefighters working the blaze near Ford in Stevens County hope it doesn't flare up in the hot, dry conditions forecast for the weekend, Turley said.

"As heat hit this area, some of the areas will have a tendency to rekindle," Turley said.

The Lake Spokane campground will be closed at least through the weekend, he said. Officials are urging people to be vigilant as hot and dry conditions increase fire risks throughout the state.

A burn ban, which has already been in effect in Eastern Washington, now includes Western Washington. The ban is in effect through Sept. 30.

[Psalm 51:17]

Northern California wildfire destroys 10 homes
7/27/14
http://news.yahoo.com/northern-california-wildfire-destroys-10-homes-162121893.html

PLYMOUTH, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters in Northern California on Sunday battled a wildfire that has destroyed 10 homes and forced hundreds of evacuations in the Sierra Nevada foothills, while a fire near Yosemite National Park destroyed one home and grew significantly overnight.

East of Sacramento, the Sand Fire has burned about 3,800 acres, roughly 6 square miles, of steep, rugged terrain near wine-growing regions in Amador and El Dorado counties since Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire, which has also destroyed seven outbuildings, was 35 percent contained Sunday morning, but threatens hundreds of homes, CalFire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said. It could grow again Sunday as firefighters brace for high wind and triple-digit heat in the drought-stricken region.

"All of the vegetation in the area is struggling. It's burning very easily," Tolmachoff said. "It causes the fire to be a lot hotter and to spread more easily."

West of Yosemite National Park, a wildfire that began Saturday afternoon quadrupled in size overnight to 2,100 acres, or more than 3 square miles, and was burning out of control Sunday. It destroyed one home in the small community of Foresta, adjacent to the park, Ranger Scott Gediman said. The park itself remained open.

The Sand Fire in the Sierra foothills has prompted authorities to evacuate about 500 homes and close several roads near the town of Plymouth. Nearly 1,500 firefighters, aided by aircraft including a DC-10 air tanker, are working to control the blaze.

CalFire officials say a vehicle that drove over dry vegetation started the fire, which has sent up huge plumes of smoke and worsened air quality in the Sacramento area.

Alfred Shults, his wife, Carolyn, and their granddaughter fled their home in El Dorado County on Friday after receiving an automated telephone call ordering residents to evacuate, according to the Sacramento Bee. Before he left, Shults said he packed as much as he could into his vehicle and turned on a sprinkler to soak the area around his beloved motorcycle.

"We just wanted to get out of there, and hope there's something left when we get back," Alfred Shults, 65, told the Sacramento Bee on Saturday as they waited for news at an evacuation center in Placerville.

Meanwhile, about 400 firefighters aided by fixed-wing helicopters were battling the flames Yosemite, Gediman said. The cause wasn't immediately known.

About 100 homes in Foresta and the small community of Old El Portal were evacuated. Two shelters were opened for people and animals.

"There have been no injuries so far, which is wonderful," Gediman said.

The park itself, home to such sites as Half Dome mountain, Yosemite Meadows, a grove of Giant Sequoia trees and other wonders, remained open Sunday. None of its treasures were threatened, Gediman said, although some areas were smoky.

The Crane Flat campground and Highway 120, a major highway leading to the park from the San Francisco Bay Area, were closed, but other roads were open. So were hotels and other amenities.

Wildfires also burned in other Western states, including Colorado and Utah. The nation's largest wildfire, the 618-square-mile Buzzard Complex in eastern Oregon, was 95 percent contained Saturday. Crews in north-central Washington made progress on the 390-square mile Carlton Complex wildfire that has burned an estimated 300 homes.

[Psalm 51:17]

Northeast California wildfire destroys 8 homes
http://news.msn.com/us/northeast-california-wildfire-destroys-8-homes

8/3/14

BURNEY, Calif. (AP) — A pair of wildfires burning without restraint about 8 miles apart in northeast California became the focus of state and federal firefighters Sunday as authorities reported that one of the blazes had destroyed eight homes and prompted the precautionary evacuation of a small long-term care hospital.

The two fires that started within a day of each other in Lassen National Forest had expanded into private property and scorched 90 square miles as of Sunday morning, up from 39 square miles a day earlier.

The more destructive of the two was threatening the town of Burney, where officials at Mayer Memorial Hospital decided to evacuate their 49-bed annex for patients with dementia and other conditions requiring skilled nursing. The patients were transferred to a hospital in Redding, about 55 miles away, the hospital reported on its website.

The Shasta County sheriff had Burney on an evacuation watch after ordering residents of three small neighboring communities to leave on Saturday night. Sgt. John Greene said the area is sparsely populated and that authorities did not yet know how many residents were affected or if the destroyed homes were vacation houses or permanent dwellings.

Evacuations also remained in effect for a community on the edge of the second fire, which was sparked by lightning Wednesday.

The two blazes were among 14 that federal, state and local fire crews were tackling on Sunday in central and Northern California, state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Dennis Mathisen said. Together, they have consumed more than 183 square miles of timber and brush left parched by the state's extended drought, Mathisen said, adding that the coming week promises not to be any easier.

"Today we are looking at slightly cooler temperatures, but Northern California continues to be hot and dry and breezy in some areas, and in fact we are looking at a fire weather watch going into effect Monday morning for a large portion of Northern and northeast California and possible thunderstorms, which could mean more lightning," he said.

Siskiyou County, which borders Oregon, also was contending with two fires, both started by lightning last week. One of them, which began in Oregon, had charred 51 square miles in both states, including 14 square miles on the California side. Federal fire officials said that along with working to protect homes, one of their priorities was to safeguard a water station that supplies the city of Yreka.

[Psalm 51:17]

8 firefighters burned battling California wildfire
http://news.yahoo.com/8-firefighters-burned-battling-california-wildfire-171629323.html
8/9/14

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Eight firefighters who suffered minor burns while battling a wildfire in Northern California left the hospital Saturday as crews gained enough ground on other blazes across the West to allow hundreds of people to return to their homes.

Three firefighters from Santa Clara County and five inmate firefighters from the Salt Creek Camp, a minimum-security facility in California, received minor burns as they battled a fast-moving blaze about 160 miles north of San Francisco in Mendocino County late Friday night.

The inmate crews work side by side with firefighters and do everything from battling blazes to helping build containment lines, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said.

The injured firefighters were released early Saturday, just hours after being airlifted to the burn center at the University of California, Davis, for treatment, Tolmachoff said. No details were immediately available on how they were injured.

"They are in good spirits," Tolmachoff said. "Although their injuries were minor, we still take them very seriously."

An evacuation order was issued late Friday for the fire that now threatens nearly 60 structures across six communities, Tolmachoff said. The blaze, which was started by lightning on Wednesday, has charred more than 11 square miles in steep and rugged terrain but is partially contained, officials said.

Nearly 2,000 firefighters and 15 helicopters battled the fire in the Wilderness Lodge Area near Laytonville, Capt. Carlos Guerrero said Saturday.

"The fire is burning in heaving timber and is proving to be quite a challenge," Tolmachoff said, adding that crews faced dry, breezy conditions in anticipation of more lightning strikes Sunday.

"That could create a whole new set of problems," she said.

Elsewhere in the West:

— The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning — designed to alert the public that conditions are ideal for more wildfires — for central Oregon. The warning is in effect from 1 p.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Tuesday.

"Thunderstorms will start with little to no rainfall on Sunday afternoon, then as the atmosphere moistens, some areas may receive significant rainfall while others will continue to see little rainfall," the weather service said in its announcement.

Crews gained more control over a wildfire in Oregon's wind-swept Columbia River Gorge, allowing the evacuation order for 740 threatened residences to be lifted, the state Department of Forestry said Saturday.

Officials told residents to remain on alert because firefighters were concerned about unburned fuel near the fire, which has charred about 5 square miles since it started Tuesday.

— A dozen wildfires in central and eastern Washington state put more than a thousand homes and structures in some danger Saturday, though firefighters started to get control of about half the blazes.

— Crews reached partial containment of Idaho's largest wildfire, which has burned about 92 square miles on the Idaho side of the Snake River across from Oregon and Washington.

Three firefighters there have been injured: One received a gash on his leg from a chain saw and required stiches, another suffered heat-related problems, and a third had a scratched cornea.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/lightning-sparks-fires-california-040025834.html
Lightning sparks new fires in California
8/10/14

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Firefighters rushed to put out nine wildfires that were sparked by lightning in the northeastern corner of California on Sunday as a stubborn blaze to the west in Mendocino County continues to challenge crews.

The new fires in Lassen, Modoc and Shasta counties were not threatening any structures, but crews were trying to contain them so they can "concentrate on the large ones that we still have," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said.

She was referring to a wildfire that was sparked by lightning on July 30 and has burned 13 ½ square miles of dry brush and timber near Laytonville in Mendocino County.

An evacuation order remains in effect as the fire about 160 miles north of San Francisco threatens nearly 60 structures across six communities, CalFire spokesman Brandon Rodgers said.

Eleven firefighters have been injured, including eight on Friday. All suffered minor injuries or burns, officials said.

More than 2,000 firefighters working in steep, rugged terrain have contained 35 percent of the blaze. Officials said the fire could grow because of difficult access to the remote area and changing weather conditions.

"While we've been making some progress, this is a very stubborn fire," Tolmachoff said. "And we're not even close to our peak fire season."

The fire is smaller than the fire that has charred 50 square miles in Shasta County, but CalFire officials said remote and rugged terrain in Mendocino County makes it tougher to fight.

[Psalm 51:17]

Evacuations in effect in California fire that burned homes
http://news.yahoo.com/progress-made-california-wildfire-destroyed-40-homes-082641501.html
2/8/15

CROWLEY LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Ira Hanson milled around an evacuation center near tiny Swall Meadows on Sunday afternoon, not quite sure what to do after learning that the dream home he and his late wife had built 30 years earlier was damaged in a wildfire that consumed 40 homes and buildings.

Sheriff's deputies had banged on the door and urged him to get out less than 48 hours earlier, and he'd fled the house with little more than his medications and a pillow. Officials later told him that fire crews had to knock down one of the home's walls in an effort to save another house next door, but he had yet to see the damage.

"It's unbelievable," said Hanson, 79. "It's like having a nightmare and you're going to wake up any minute and it won't be true."

Fire crews increased containment of the wind-driven wildfire, but they said Sunday that they still didn't know when residents evacuated from Swall Meadows and nearby Paradise would be able to return home.

Utility workers were busy tending to the charred power poles along the roads in the two towns, and forestry crews sawed at fallen trees that blocked a main thoroughfare. Nearby, two gutted, gray trucks rested on a driveway that led to a pile of rubble.

The fallen power poles and smoldering hot spots near propane tanks created hazards for the roughly 250 residents who have been evacuated, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Liz Brown. Crews were assessing trees in the two communities on Sunday to ensure they wouldn't come down.

"We would love to shoot for today, but I don't know," Brown said of the prospect of lifting evacuation orders. "Once it's open, it's open. We don't have the resources to escort people in and escort them out."

The fire started Friday afternoon near a highway on the border of Inyo and Mono counties. It blew up when 50 to 75 mph winds whipped through wooded areas near the two communities for about three hours, turning the flames into a "freight train," Brown said.

Swall Meadows was hit hard by the blaze — 39 homes were destroyed there while one burned in the community of Paradise, Brown said.

Firefighters made progress after rain moved in, and they have since contained 65 percent of the 11-square-mile blaze.

But Brown said the rain hasn't been enough to completely put out the fire. A three-year drought across California has created extremely dry timber brush that fueled the flames and pushed them all the way up the Sierra slopes to the snow line around 8,000 feet, she said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Meanwhile, officials running the evacuation center in Crowley Lake said they received an outpouring of support. A white board was filled with names and phone numbers of people who had volunteered their homes for the displaced.

So many had volunteered that nobody stayed in the shelter overnight.

"This is one of the most resilient communities you're ever going to find," said Mono County Administrator Jim Leddy.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://ktla.com/2015/04/18/firefighters-battling-brush-fire-near-prado-dam-in-chino-hills-area/
4/18/15
Brush Fire 15% Contained After Burning 300 Acres in Chino Hills Area; Evacuation Orders Remain

Some 200 homes in the area were threatened, the Fire Department said. Residents were ORDEREDto evacuate houses on Bluff Street, Homestead Road and Stagecoach Drive (map) in nearby Corona.

The blaze was reported about 6:12 p.m. near the interchange of highways 71 and 91 (map), officials said. A rising plume of black smoke was visible for miles.

“This is an example of what the drought has done to these fuel conditions. Normally, this wouldn’t burn in this type of area,” said Capt. Mike Mohler of Cal Fire.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

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