Mandatory and
voluntary evacuations covered 5,300 homes in the Southern California fire area
between mountain communities around Lake Arrowhead and the high desert city of
Hesperia to the north, said Lyn Sieliet, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman. The
number of people who left was not known.
Southwest winds
pushed the fire northward through the mountains toward the desert.
Schools in Hesperia
were closed as a precaution because of the fire's movement and two neighboring
districts also shut down for the day due to poor air quality caused by smoke.
More than 900
firefighters aided by retardant-dropping air tankers and water-dropping
helicopters had just 6 percent of the fire contained, but no structures had
been lost since it erupted at 12:10 p.m. Sunday. The cause remained under
investigation.
Overnight prospects
looked good for firefighters, with temperatures dipping into the low 60s and
humidity rising.
Meanwhile,
California's biggest wildfire expanded to more than 104 square miles north of
scenic Big Sur.
An army of more than
5,000 firefighters and a fleet of air tankers and helicopters made progress,
however, surrounding 50 percent of the nearly 3-week-old fire.
Due to increased
wind and flames from the spreading fire, Highway 1 was closed Monday night but
reopened early Tuesday. More temporary closures could follow.
Some residents have
been allowed to return to their homes, but some evacuation orders remained in
place, while others were reduced to warnings.
Five state parks on
Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles remained closed.
The fire, which has
destroyed 57 homes, damaged three others and led to the death of a bulldozer
operator in an accident, was caused by an illegal campfire.
Source: Fox News
Source: Fox News
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