LA VERNE – Seventy homes in an upscale suburb abutting the San Gabriel Mountains stand abandoned as an 8,000-acre wildfire raged out of control in the rugged terrain of the Angeles National Forest.Forty-four structures were destroyed, but it was not immediately known how many were homes, said U.S. Forest Service fire dispatcher Tony Heinan. The fire was only about 12 percent contained by 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The fire burned toward northwestern La Verne, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, where residents were evacuated as flames moved southeasterly through the forest, fire officials said.
Resident Ross Snow loaded her car with pictures, jewelry and clothing. "I had maybe an hours sleep.... We're fortunate we have such wonderful fire departments in the area."
"This is the first time we've ever seen it this bad," said resident Linda DeSalvio. "We're just going to stay and wait and see what happens."
The Red Cross set up temporary shelter at Bonita High School in La Verne and a pet shelter at the Inland Valley Humane Society in nearby Pomona.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters were on the lines of the Angeles National Forest fire, receiving assistance from water-dropping helicopters and airplanes. One firefighter suffered a minor injury, authorities said.
The fire was the larger of two dangerous blazes in California. The other raced over 160 acres in a Santa Clara County park west of Morgan Hill. Hundreds of firefighters attacked the flames on the ground while 10 planes and helicopters aided from the air. That fire threatened dozens of homes.
The Angeles National Forest blaze created a ceiling of brown smoke that draped Glendora, San Dimas, and other small suburbs on the foothills of the mountains. Flames were visible from the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The smoke and flames gave an orange tint to the moon as it rose over the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles on Monday night.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, and Highway 39 into San Gabriel Canyon remained closed.
The wildfire erupted Sunday evening near privately owned Camp Williams and Camp Follows. Winds fanned the fire and at one point it threatened homes and forced 300 residents and 2,000 campers to flee.
The fire burned three miles southeast of an area scorched earlier this month by a 16,000-acre fire.
The Santa Clara County fire burned in Uvas Canyon County Park, a lushly wooded park of more than 1,200 acres on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 55 miles south of San Francisco. Heavy smoke from the fire was visible in Santa Cruz.
About 400 firefighters were on the scene along with four helicopters, six air tankers and one air attack and the blaze was moving southeast, a California Department of Forestry spokeswoman said.
