News

Fire in California Mountains Burns Out of Control

by Gillian White

A fire in Southern California has left three injured and forced hundreds to flee their homes as flames burned 10,000 acres of land.

By Thursday morning, more than 1,500 people had evacuated their homes in California's San Jacinto Mountains, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, as brushfires burned out of control over a nine square mile stretch. Among the injured so far are four firefighters and one civilian.

The blaze, named the Silver Fire, started Wednesday night and has destroyed more than dozen buildings, though it remains unclear how many of them were residences. The fire is reportedly now 10 percent contained, thanks to the density of dry brush and the rugged mountainous landscape. The area, near Banning, California, has not seen a fire in about seven years.

Residents of the Silent Valley Club, a private RV resort, Poppet Flats, Twin Pines, Edna Valley and Vista Grande all received mandatory evacuation orders. In parts of Cabazon, California residents were also asked to leave their property.

Evacuation centers popped up at local high schools in Hemet and Banning, CA.

More than 500 fire fighters have been working through the night to subdue the flames with little success. The cause of the fire is under investigation.