Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Homes burn as winds push fire down
Blaze hit desert outside L.A., then grew rapidly
JUNIPER HILLS, Calif. — Strong winds pushed a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles onto the desert floor and spread it rapidly in several directions, causing it to explode in size and destroy homes, officials said Saturday.
Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender.
The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
In northern Los Angeles County, erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire onto the Mojave Desert community of Juniper Hills on Friday after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. The winds and thick smoke over the area grounded water-dropping aircraft most of the day. Meanwhile, crews on the ground shifted from attacking the blaze to protecting homes because they were “outflanked” by the flames, fire spokeswoman Kerry Gillibrand said.
The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles.
Some residents in Juniper Hills fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing feared her family’s house was lost on Friday after seeing on Twitter that a neighbor’s house three doors down went up in flames.
The house stood when she made her way back Saturday afternoon.
“Everything around us is gone,” she said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many homes were burned in the area about 50 miles northeast of downtown L.A. A crew will assess damages once the area is cleared of danger, said fire spokesman Sky
Cornell. No injuries were reported.
He said crews will take advantage of slightly lower temperatures to make headway on Saturday. However, winds were expected to remain strong with possible gusts of up to 25 mph.
Throughout the Northwest, firefighters welcomed cooler weather and rain, as well as much-improved air quality and visibility that would allow some to survey fire activity with drones.
On the south side of the Bobcat Fire, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California.
The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15 percent contained.
Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines.