WeatherFanatics: State of emergency declared as wildfire rages east of Los Angeles

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

State of emergency declared as wildfire rages east of Los Angeles

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

August 16,2016; 11:47PM,EDT

A wildfire erupted in Southern California on Tuesday, burning thousands of acres and forcing evacuations for entire communities.
The wildfire, named the Bluecut Fire, began burning late on Tuesday morning east of Los Angeles in the Cajon Pass and spread rapidly in dry and hot conditions.
As of Tuesday night, the blaze has burned 15,000 acres and is zero percent contained, according to InciWeb. The cause of the blaze is still unknown.
More than 80,000 people were placed under mandatory evacuation orders due to the effects of the fire, including the entire town of Wrightwood, California.
Those forced to evacuate have found it difficult to leave town as portions of Interstate 15 and Highway 138 have been shut down, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On Tuesday evening, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County due to the effect of the rapidly growing fire.

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CAL FIRE PIO Berlant ✔ @CALFIRE_PIO

#BlueCutFire in the Cajon Pass (San Bernardino County) is now 15,000 acres. 15 & 138 closed. Photo: @crimeshutterbug

11:31 PM - 16 Aug 2016

Six firefighters were entrapped by the raging wildfire on Tuesday afternoon while defending homes and assisting evacuations, two of which sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
NBC 4 Los Angeles reported that some homes around the fire have been burned as the blaze spread through communities.
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The weather over the next several days is going to make it challenging for fire crews to gain ground containing the blaze.
"Very dry, very warm air will remain in place through at least Thursday with relative humidity dropping to less than 20% in many areas threatened by the Bluecut Fire," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said.
Houk added that wind gusts will range from 25 to 35 mph that can fan the flames and create more a dangerous situation for those battling the blaze.
Smoke from the fire was visible across the entire area and was also able to be detected on weather radar.