A brush fire spanned over 7 square miles, prompting evacuations and leaving several charred structures in the Los Angeles County on Thursday while water-dropping helicopters and volunteers scrambled to keep abreast of the conflagration.
Orange flames swept through dry grasses, cross roads and traveled through hills that connected LA to the desert.
According to authorities, the fire began on State Route 14 and moves east and north towards Palmdale, a rural area in the inland desert of the Los Angeles County.
Over 1,200 homes in Leona Valley were put under a compulsory evacuation order on Thursday night, said LA County fire Inspector Matt Levesque.
“Man, it looks bad outside. If I step outside the restaurant, it’s just insane looking — black and orange smoke and helicopters going through, dropping water,” Jamie Karschamroon, the 29-year old co-owner of a local diner said.
When the fire at the north side of Route 14 spanned 2,000 acres, fire marshals called for more engines, and the area was soon filled with around 600 firefighters.
“It’s fuel and topography driven, but when fires have this much fuel and burn this hot they make their own wind,” said Levesque.
State Route 14 passes through San Gabriel Mountains and connects LA to the desert. The area lies west of the zone spanning 250 square miles which was burned by the Station fire last year and was touted as the biggest wildland fire in the history of the county.
Around 200 firemen were able to contain another fire, which swept through 350 acres. Another fire was put out at 30 acres.
Up in Kern County, favorable weather conditions helped firefighters construct containment lines to trap two wildfires which destroyed homes in far-flung communities in the mountains earlier this week.
