Firefighters continue to pursue a wildfire in California that destroyed homes and forced people to flee. The Lake Fire, burning at Lake Hughes north of Los Angeles, was 12% as of Saturday morning and was 14,714 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The fire destroyed at least 21 structures, officials said, and threatened thousands more, reports CBS Los Angeles. Evacuation orders are in effect for Lake Hughes and the surrounding area, according to officials.
“Four of my friends lost their homes right on the canyon, just got it, you know, it’s just sad,” one Lake Hughes man told CBS Los Angeles on Thursday.
Homeowner Kenny Reynolds said his home was mostly destroyed and his property burned down.
“There was a big wall of flame, kind of came over a little faster than we thought, usually it’s a little slower, than the last time it came a little slower,” said Reynolds, referring to the 2013 Powerhouse Fire, which erupted in the Angeles National Forest and destroyed several dozen homes.
Reynolds said he barely had time to evacuate because fire tornadoes formed on hills surrounding his home.
“Stayed as long as we could, but it was kind of surrounding the house, and me and the neighbors evacuated as flames kind of defeated his house,” Reynolds said.
Ringo HW Chiu / AP
Dangerously high temperatures hovering over the region this weekend will make the arson even more dangerous.
Crews on Thursday were able to take advantage of some temporary relief thanks to light rainfall brought in by tropical storm Elida to increase containment. That relief disappeared late Thursday and into Friday, when the light rose again and spread further.
“That it’s really just going to show how unfair fire can be and when the conditions are ripe, what they are now, it can be very, very unpredictable,” said LA Corn County Fire Department spokesman Sky Cornell.
It is unclear what caused the blast, which was reported just after 3.30pm on Wednesday and exploded rapidly amid high winds and high temperatures, forcing the evacuation of about 100 homes.
Some parts of the Angeles National Forest have not been burnt since the 1960s, firefighters said, leaving dozens of bags ready to be left in areas with rough terrain.
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