The largest, a fast-moving blaze called the Mill Fire, burned 350 acres along Highway 38 near the Mentone-Yucaipa border. People in two areas of Yucaipa were evacuated to St. Francis Catholic Church, 12687 California St. Pat Henry only had enough time to grab her dog and a handbag before being taken to the church by her caregiver, she said. "I have never had to be evacuated before, and I have been there for 16 years," Henry said. "It was kind of exciting when the Sheriff pulled up and said we had to leave."
Large animals were being taken to Yucaipa Regional Park.The brush fire -- first reported around 2:15 p.m. -- quickly spread along a hillside, coming within yards of a house. "It got close to us, the streets above were evacuated," resident Terri Patterson posted on Facebook. "We could see 40-foot flames behind the houses. It came very close to one house but (an airplane) knocked it down ... "Three hours after the initial call, Cal Fire spokesman Bill Peters said a lot of the heavy fire was out, but many hot spots remained. Zero percent of the fire was contained at that point, he said.Preston Fouts, an arson investigator for Cal Fire, said the fire's cause was under investigation. It started just east of 5000 Highway 38, he added. The highway was closed between Garnet and Bryant streets as several agencies battled the flames on the ground and from the sky with helicopters and airplanes.
More photos can be seen here in the gallery section of FireWXPhoto.com.
Photo by EPN-564
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