Related Press
SAN BERNARDINO – Evacuations expanded Saturday as a wildfire raged with raging flames within the foothills of a national forest east of Los Angeles, amid a days-long heat wave that sent temperatures soaring above 100 degrees across the region.
The so-called Line Fire burned uncontrollably on the sting of the San Bernardino National Forest, about 105 kilometers east of Los Angeles. By Saturday afternoon, the fireplace had charred about 28 square kilometers of grassland and chaparral and left a thick, dark cloud of smoke over the world.
The fire broke out on Thursday evening and the cause is currently being investigated.
About 500 firefighters fought the fireplace, supported by helicopters and planes that dropped water and hovered over houses and hills.
Firefighters said the fireplace had the potential to “spread widely” over the following 12 hours.
The fire created thick clouds of smoke and flames could possibly be seen shooting across the mountain ridges.
No injuries were reported and no homes or other buildings were damaged or destroyed.
The National Weather Service said high temperatures reached 44 degrees Celsius (112 degrees Fahrenheit) in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, marking the third time since 1877 that a hot temperature of 44 degrees Celsius or higher has been reached there.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com