With ash and smoke turning day into night, a wind-driven wildfire closed in on several Southern California communities on Friday, destroying four houses and forcing firefighters to make their stand in back yards.
Thousands of people were evacuated and two major freeways were closed.
"We got out what was important, and what's most important is us," said Christiane Elin, 30, who with her husband was among hundreds of people gathered at a high school serving as an evacuation center.
PHOTO: AP
More than 1,600 hectares have burned since the fire started on Tuesday near the San Bernardino National Forest.
Ash covered cars a half-kilometer from the fire, and billowing clouds of black smoke hung above the heavily developed area. The California Highway Patrol closed Interstate 210 and I-15, the main route from Southern California to Las Vegas.
"It looks like nighttime here," said Kelly Bocanegra, an elementary school teacher.
Firefighters supported by water-dropping aircraft battled flames in back yards in Rancho Cucamonga, where four houses was destroyed on Friday.
The fire also reached the outskirts of Fontana and Rialto, in the sprawling suburbs about 80km east of downtown Los Angeles.
The flames were fanned by hot, dry desert winds of 40kph and higher.
The fire was only 17 percent contained by late morning.
Governor Gray Davis ordered all available firefighting resources to be made available.
In the high school parking lot, Kevin Walk waited with his wife, 7-year-old daughter and dog, hoping they could return home soon. They had awoken before daybreak to see flames approaching their housing development.
"The wind shifted and they said, `You've got to go,'" Walk said. The family grabbed photos, documents and their goldfish before leaving.
The fire, which authorities blamed on arson, was one of several that swept through Southern California this week.
Among them was a blaze at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, 80km north of San Diego, where a 1,644-hectare brush fire was as close as 1.6km from scattered ranches and homes.
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