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    • California wildfire grows to nearly 50,000 acres
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    California wildfire grows to nearly 50,000 acres

    Vaseline Posted on

    Some Mt. Baldy evacuees were forced to leave behind pets and important possessions, and many are wondering if their homes are still standing.

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    A raging wildfire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties has burned nearly 50,000 acres, forcing residents to flee and destroying dozens of homes.

    The Bridge Fire has burned more than 51,000 acres and is 0% contained, officials said Thursday. Its rapid growth has made it the largest active fire in the state, larger than the Line Fire, which is also burning in San Bernardino and has scorched another 37,000 acres and is 18% contained.

    An evacuee described a terrifying scene Tuesday as flames engulfed a neighborhood at the top of California’s Mt. Baldy. Looking up at the mountain from afar, “it looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off, nothing but smoke,” Liz Wenzel said.

    The Bridge Fire began Sunday afternoon, according to InciWeb. On Tuesday, the blaze began exhibiting “extreme fire behavior” and expanded to more than 13,000 acres, spreading north and northeast toward the communities of Wrightwood and Pinon Hills.

    More than 5,000 structures were at risk as of Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. Numerous buildings and structures had already been hit, and damage to electrical infrastructure was reported. Nearly three dozen homes burned in the Mt. Baldy and Wrightwood areas, Los Angeles County Fire Marshal Anthony Marrone said. Six wilderness cabins were also destroyed.

    Some Mt. Baldy evacuees were forced to leave behind pets and important possessions, and many are wondering if their homes are still standing.

    “It was really hard to see our home so close to this kind of destruction,” Andrew Corona told USA TODAY.

    According to Cal Fire, the fire could continue to expand as it moves into areas with “receptive fuels where little to no fire has occurred.”

    The cause of the fire is under investigation.

    The devastation of a forest fire: Webcam captures its own fiery demise as airport fire spreads – Watch timelapse footage

    Mt. Baldy family with newborn who has been removed from home

    Andrew Corona and his fiancée were at the hospital Monday afternoon for their 3-day-old’s first checkup with the pediatrician when they received word that they had to evacuate their home in Mt. Baldy Village, where they had lived for a little over a year. Instead of taking their baby boy home, the family and their 5-year-old went to Corona’s mother’s house at the bottom of the mountain.

    “We were just finishing unpacking the last few boxes, putting everything away and getting it ready, building the crib, building the crib. Finally excited to come home and introduce our son to our home and get him comfortable,” Corona said.

    They were unable to return home Monday to retrieve their belongings or his fiancée’s beloved cat, Midna, he told USA TODAY.

    “I told her, ‘I promise I’m going to get your cat,’” Corona said.

    The next day, as the fire grew rapidly, Corona, 27, drove as close as he could until he reached the fire department barricades, pleading with them to let him save the cat. He was eventually escorted back to his home. From his door, Corona said, he could see the fire a block away.

    “On the way up I see something I’ve never seen before, just burning fire all over the mountain. I couldn’t see anything because of the smoke. I couldn’t breathe when I got out of the car to go to my house,” he said.

    Corona only had time to grab Midna and a bag of baby supplies. Corona said his house was still standing Wednesday night, as far as he knew, but it’s hard to get updates because the power is out and the signal on the mountain is weak.

    He prays he doesn’t get any bad news, but the stress of the looming threat to his home, combined with the sleepless nights over the birth of a newborn, has taken its toll.

    “It’s a blessing and a very difficult time to go through,” he said. “I’m so blessed to have my family. I have everything I need.”

    It appears a nuclear bomb has exploded on top of Mt. Baldy in California

    Liz Wenzel can’t stop thinking about the pets she had to leave behind.

    On Monday night, officers parked their cars in the Wenzel neighborhood at the top of Mt. Baldy, California, blaring their sirens and telling residents to leave immediately to escape the fire on the bridge.

    One of Wenzel’s cats, Haku, became so “panicked” during the evacuation that he hid in a box spring mattress and wouldn’t come out, Wenzel told USA TODAY. She made sure there was plenty of food and water for him.

    “For me, the animals are the most important thing,” said Wenzel, 22. “You can replace a lot of stuff, but you can’t replace a life. I’m a huge animal lover, so that’s all I can think about.”

    She could take her other cat. But she also couldn’t take the enclosures where her three pet snakes, Soul, Lilith and Ryuk, live.

    “This is the first time we’ve ever experienced something like this, so we didn’t know how bad it would be. We just hoped for the best and said, ‘We’ll be home in a few days.'”

    On Thursday, Wenzel, her boyfriend and their 2-year-old daughter Marceline were staying with family in Pomona, California. They didn’t know when they would be able to return to their home, which they believe was fortunately untouched by the flames, Wenzel said.

    “That’s the scary part: We have absolutely no idea,” Wenzel said.

    Bridge fire map

    Evacuation orders

    People in an area where an evacuation order is in effect must leave the area for their own safety.

    According to Inciweb, the order was given on Thursday morning to evacuate the following locations:

    • Pinon Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 18
    • Beekley Road west to Los Angeles County
    • Lone Pine Canyon from the community of Wrightwood to Hwy
    • 138/Lone Pine Canyon Road south into the forest
    • The entire community of Wrightwood
    • East Fork communities of Camp Williams Resort (cafe, mobile home park and campground) and the River Community area near the resort
    • Mt. Baldy Road, all residents north of the San Antonio Dam to the Mt. Baldy Resort

    An evacuation warning is in effect for the following areas:

    Conditions could worsen in areas with evacuation warnings. People in the following areas should evacuate if conditions change, according to InciWeb, starting Thursday morning:

    • San Antonio Heights and Upland from the foothills south to I-210
    • Pinon Hills from Wrightwood north to Hwy. 138 and Lebec Road west into Los Angeles County

    Governor awards grant for firefighting assistance

    California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the state has received a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a statement on the governor’s website.

    The grant will “help ensure the availability of critical resources to Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties to fight the bridge fire.”

    “California is battling multiple fast-moving wildfires across rugged locations in Southern California,” Newsom said in a statement. “I am grateful for the support the Biden-Harris Administration is providing to firefighting teams who are working around the clock to contain these challenging fires and protect the lives and property of California residents.”

    Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can contact her at LinkedInfollow her up X, formerly Twitter, Instagram And TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]

    Contributions: Victorville Daily Press

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