WeatherFanatics: Firefighters Gain Ground on Fire After Vehicles Burned on California's I-15

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Firefighters Gain Ground on Fire After Vehicles Burned on California's I-15

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

July 19,2015; 9:55PM,EDT

In this frame from video provided by NBC4, smoke rises from vehicles as a fast-moving wildfire swept across a freeway Friday, July 17, 2015, near Hesperia, California. The fire swept by desert winds burned on both sides of Interstate 15, the main connector between Southern California and Las Vegas that was crowded with vehicles. (Photo/NBC4 via AP).

Firefighters have gained ground on the 3,500-acre brush fire that rapidly moved across the I-15 Freeway near Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, California, on Friday, forcing closure of part of the major highway and destroying multiple vehicles.
InciWeb reports that the fire, which started around 2:33 p.m. PDT Friday near Interstate 15 north of Highway 138, was 60 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon.
One injury has been confirmed, according to InciWeb. The blaze destroyed seven homes, 16 outbuildings and 44 vehicles in the community of Baldy Mesa.
Twenty other vehicles were also destroyed when the fire crossed the southbound lanes of Interstate 15.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Carapia told ABC 7 News in Los Angeles that 50 to 75 vehicles were left abandoned on the freeway. All lanes of the interstate have since reopened.
InciWeb also reports that a drone halted tanker operations for about 25 minutes Friday afternoon before operations soon resumed.
Showers and thunderstorms will continue to be a double-edged sword for firefighters through Monday.
"While rainfall will definitely be welcome, thunderstorms could still create issues for firefighters," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
Downpours produced by the heaviest thunderstorms threaten to trigger localized flash flooding and mudslides, endangering firefighters.

"There could also be gusty and erratic winds rushing away from the thunderstorms and lightning strikes away from the thunderstorm's rain could spark additional wildfires," added Pydynowski.
Winds outside of thunderstorms will generally be from the south-southeast at 8-16 mph through Monday.
Thunderstorm activity will wane during the day on Monday with a return to dry weather for Tuesday.
Fights and thefts have been reported at one store along the interstate during the evacuations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Evacuation centers are being organized, and multiple fire departments are on hand to combat the blaze, including the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service.
A second fire, dubbed the Pine Fire, was reported near Wrightwood, California. Within 8 minutes, the wildfire went from 25 to more than 100 acres, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The fire has since charred 200 acres.
About 90 Girl Scouts were evacuated from a campground near Wrightwood, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported. About 300 campers were also evacuated from a second campground in the Pine Fire area.
The blaze was 40 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to InciWeb.

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