Fire raging east of L.A. sparked by diesel vehicle
BANNING, Riverside County — A wildfire in mountains east of Los Angeles that has forced thousands of people from their homes was sparked by a malfunctioning diesel vehicle, fire officials said Monday.
The vehicle spewed burning carbon from its exhaust system, igniting several fires Friday on Oak Glen Road in Cherry Valley, and authorities were asking anyone who may have seen such a vehicle at the time to contact investigators, according to a statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Apple Fire, among several wildfires across California, had consumed more than 41 square miles of dry brush and timber since it broke out Friday evening, fire officials said.
As of Monday afternoon, it was just 5% contained and the fire, along with coronavirus precautions, made for added stress at an evacuation center, said John Medina, an American Red Cross spokesman.
Volunteers used to “close contact” with evacuees have had to adjust their approach during a time of social distancing, Medina said.
Bill Boehm helped his mother evacuate her home with her three horses and said the pandemic hasn’t stopped people from coming together to assist each other.
“Everyone seemed to be wearing masks and such, so that type of precaution was still going on,“Boehm told the news station.
The blaze began as two adjacent fires in a rural area near the city of Beaumont, about 85 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
One home and two outbuildings were destroyed, California fire officials said. No injuries were reported.
Evacuation orders and advisories were issued for about 2,500 homes in mountain, canyon and foothill neighborhoods. Campgrounds and hiking trails were closed in the San Gorgonio Wilderness area of the San Bernardino National Forest.
The temperature hit 111 degrees on Monday in nearby Palm Springs.