Enormous California wildfire threatens desert homes
An enormous wildfire that churned through mountains northeast of Los Angeles and into the Mojave Desert was still threatening homes yesterday and was one of more than two dozen major fires burning across California.
Five of the largest wildfires in state history are burning and more than 14,500 sq km has been charred, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
At 427 sq km, the Bobcat Fire is one of the largest ever in Los Angeles County after burning for more than two weeks. It was only about 15 per cent contained.
Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for thousands of residents in foothill and desert areas, where semirural homes and a popular nature sanctuary have burned. Statewide, at least 23,000 people remain evacuated, Newsom said.
No injuries have been reported for the fire about 80km northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
However, 18 homes and other buildings have been destroyed and 11 damaged, some in the Juniper Hills area, with the toll rising to perhaps 85 when damage assessment teams can complete their work this week, fire officials said yesterday.
Numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger US wildfires to global warming from the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially because climate change has made California much drier.
Officials said it could be days before teams determine the scope of the destruction in the area burned by the Bobcat Fire.
Early estimates are that 6400 buildings have been destroyed across the state, but Newsom said “by no stretch of the imagination do we think this tells the entire story”.