FAWNSKIN, California An out-of-control wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest tore through 18,000 acres of brush and timber Saturday, forcing the evacuation of about 5,000 people from a pair of mountain communities.
A fire burns Friday in the San Bernardino National Forest near Fawnskin, California.
1 of 2 Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the resort community of Green Valley Lake and the Fawnskin area near Big Bear Dam, about 85 miles east of Los Angeles, said Jim Wilkins of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
"It's just been running and gunning all day long, eating up ground," Wilkins said. "It's a very aggressive fire burning through fuels that haven't been burned in 50 to 75 years."
Winds of about 20 mph (32 kph) and humidity of just 10 percent were helping the blaze grow. It had crept within a half-mile of homes in Fawnskin, Wilkins said.
Evacuation centers were set up at two high schools.
Voluntary evacuations were called for Lucerne Valley south of the Pitzer Buttes area. Fire officials also evacuated several campgrounds, and some roadways in the area were closed to traffic.
About 600 firefighters were aided by water drops from helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft as they battled the blaze, which was burning in steep terrain. Watch aircraft help the fight »
The fire, which was reported Friday, was 5 percent contained Saturday afternoon. Its cause was under investigation.
Meanwhile, in San Diego County, several dozen homes in Whispering Pines, a subdivision of the historic town of Julian, were evacuated after a 500-acre wildfire started northeast of town Saturday afternoon, county sheriff's officials said.
Crews also were mopping up a fire that charred 2,170 acres in a remote mountainous area east of San Diego. The blaze in the Cleveland National Forest was 95 percent contained Saturday, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Audrey Hagen said.
