Raging Wildfire Threatens 300 Homes in Southern California

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Raging Wildfire Threatens 300 Homes in Southern California

A wildfire raging out of control in the mountains of East County, southern California, was threatening about 300 homes on Tuesday and forcing many residents to evacuate, local authorities said.

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A wildfire raging out of control in the mountains of East County, southern California, was threatening about 300 homes on Tuesday and forcing many residents to evacuate, local authorities said.

At least five structures had been destroyed by Tuesday afternoon. The fire, which had blazed through more than 4,500 acres (about 1,822 hectares) of brush and forest land, was spreading toward the communities of Whispering Pines and Kentwood In The Pines, on Volcan Mountain, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of San Diego, said officials from the California Department of Forestry.

More than 1,700 firefighters from all over southern California were battling the blaze, while local authorities were calling on residents to voluntarily evacuate, officials said.

The fire reportedly started Sunday, and quickly spread up the mountain slopes. A team of fire fighters and 85 engines, 11 helicopters, nine air tankers and six bulldozers were sent immediately to fight the fire, but they failed to prevent it from spreading overnight.

The county police evacuated about 25 mobile homes in a trailer park along Banner Grade late Monday night and officials set up three evacuation centers for displaced residents.

Fire officials said they could not predict how long it would take to bring the fire under control. The actual cause of the fireremained unknown, although investigators initially believed it wasstarted by a National Guard helicopter which made a hard landing in the area Monday afternoon.

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