A fire that has been burning in the Southern California town of Idyllwild since Monday is thus far only 10 percent contained, authorities said. The blaze that forced evactuations has destroyed 14,200 acres of land and seven homes, including three houses, three mobile homes and a cabin and damaging other structures, the CS Monitor reported. More than 25,000 firefighters and 25 aircraft have been dispatched to the scene.
The flames broke out in the Riverside County town near Palm Springs and by the next morning, it reached 14 square miles. Temperatures were expected to reach 105 degrees in the rain-deprived region, Tina Rose, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told reporters.
"I was here at sun-up and the fire was burning like it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. That is extreme fire behavior," Rose said. "The slightest little spark is going to make a run and torch trees. It's just so bone dry."
The fire has caused a long stretch of two freeways to be closed, KTLA reported. Only one was able to reopen Wednesday. The blaze has damaged 11 outbuilding and up to six vehicles. People in about 50 homes were evacuated as well as those attending Camp Ronald McDonald, a summer camp that caters to children with cancer. A Red Cross center is now in place at Hemet High School and Hamilton High School. The blaze is moving toward the San Jacinto Mountains, officials said. It was burning through thick brush and trees at an elevation of 5,000 to 7,500 feet.
"It's a rapidly changing animal," Lee Beyer, Forest Service spokesman, said of the blaze.
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