5,000 Evacuated as Calif. Forest Burns
AP
Firefighters struggled to contain the 18,000-acre blaze, which began Friday and was pushed by 20-mph winds through dense, dry brush.
By Saturday, the fire was only 5% contained. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County, clearing the way for state government assistance with costs related to the fire.
The flames had burned several outbuildings at a campground and crept within a half-mile of homes, said Jim Wilkins of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
"It's a very aggressive fire burning through fuels that haven't been burned in 50 to 75 years," Wilkins said.
About 630 firefighters were aided by helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and a DC-10 capable of dropping 24,000 gallons of water at a time.
Officials evacuated the resort community of Green Valley Lake and the Fawnskin area near Big Bear Dam. Several campgrounds were also evacuated, and voluntary evacuations were called for part of Lucerne Valley.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
In San Diego County, a 500-acre wildfire erupted Saturday northeast of Julian, forcing the evacuation of about 400 people from the nearby subdivision of Whispering Pines.
Photo: California Department of Forestry firefighters battle the Butler 2 fire at YMCA Camp Whittle near Fawnskin, Calif., on Saturday. (By Eric Reed, The Sun)
By nightfall, the flames had completely run through the subdivision. An empty vacation home was destroyed, said Jan Caldwell of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
About 500 firefighters battled the blaze, which was 10% contained.
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% contained Saturday, said Audrey Hagen, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman.
That fire was started by an illegal campfire Wednesday and spread rapidly because of drought conditions.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wildfires/2007-09-15-san-bernardino_N.htm