A fast-moving fire is devouring land and homes in Southern California. What started as a small blaze Tuesday in the mountainous Cajon pass grew to nearly 47 square miles by Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of more than 82,000 people, according to the Associated Press.
“This moved so fast,” Darren Dalton, 51, told the AP, who along with his wife and son had to get out of his house in Wrightwood. “It went from ‘Have you heard there’s a fire?’ to ‘mandatory evacuation’ before you could take it all in. This is a tight little community up here. Always in rally mode. Suddenly it’s a ghost town.”
The fire obliterated at least a dozen buildings, Eric Sherwin of the San Bernardino County Fire Department said according to the AP, including some homes and the Summit Inn, a historic diner.
