Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Arson Wildfire Forces Entire California Town to Evacuate
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
July 26, 2018

Share

IDYLLWILD — A fast-moving wildfire — believed to have been sparked by arson — tore through trees, burned five homes and forced evacuation orders for an entire mountain town as California sweltered under a heat wave and battled ferocious fires at both ends of the state.
Winds were calm early Thursday and smoke drifted slowly over the so-called Cranston Fire, but firefighters faced another day of high temperatures that could hit 100, low humidity and possible afternoon wind gusts that could create dangerous fire weather conditions.
The blaze erupted Wednesday in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles and turned into a wall of flame that torched timber and tinder-dry brush. In a matter of hours it grew to 7½ square miles.
About 3,200 people in the town of Idyllwild and nearby communities were ordered to evacuate. An estimated 600 homes were threatened.
The fire was the largest of at least five that police believe were purposely set Wednesday by a man whose car was reportedly spotted at the starting point of the blaze in Riverside County, officials said.
Brandon N. McGlover, 32, of Temecula was booked on suspicion of five counts of arson, state fire officials said. It wasn’t clear whether he had an attorney.

Mandatory Evacuations Throughout City

Authorities ordered residents to leave Idyllwild and several neighboring communities, home to about 12,000 people.
William Blodgett of Idyllwild said he couldn’t get home because of the fire and had to wait along with others at a gas station in nearby Mountain Center — until the fire hopped a highway and began to move in his direction.
“We were all peeling out of there as fast as we could,” he told KNBC-TV. “It was apocalyptic.”
Horses and other animals were taken to shelters as were several hundred children who were evacuated from summer camps. About 200 were at a local high school serving as a shelter, KCAL-TV reported.
The fire in the San Bernardino National Forest sent up a cloud 50,000 feet high that was so enormous it created its own weather in the form of lightning, the National Weather Service reported.
Throughout the day, helicopters and planes dumped water and fire retardant that turned swathes of land and homes pink. Fire engines also were stationed to protect homes.
The fire is one of several across California amid a heat wave that has seen days of triple-digit temperatures.
To the north, in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least one home burned in a fast-moving blaze in Clayton, where houses are spread out around windy roads.

Yosemite Valley Closed During Peak Season

Yosemite Valley, the scenic heart of the national park, was closed at noon Wednesday during the height of tourist season as smoke cast a pall on the region from a fire in the Sierra Nevada. The closure was heartbreaking for travelers, many of whom mapped out their trips months in advance to hike and climb amid the spectacular views of cascading waterfalls and sheer rock faces.

“We had one guest who planned a weeklong trip. It was a father-daughter trip, for her high school graduation … Now it’s done. It’s sad.”Tom Lambert, vacation rental property owner near Yosemite Valley
One guest also had to delay their plans to climb Half Dome.
Officials emphasized that Yosemite wasn’t in imminent danger from the fire. Authorities decided on the shutdown to allow crews to perform protective measures such as burning away brush along roadways without having to deal with traffic in the park that welcomes 4 million visitors annually.
Yosemite Valley will be closed until at least Sunday, along with a winding, mountainous, 20-mile stretch of California’s State Route 41 that leads into the area, Gediman said.
At least 1,000 campground and hotel bookings were canceled — to say nothing of the impact on day visitors, park workers and small businesses along the highway, Gediman said.
The last time the 7.5-mile-long valley was closed because of fire was 1990, he said.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Work Requirements Could Transform Medicaid and Food Aid Under US Budget Bill

DON'T MISS

Stop Making Cents: US Mint Moves Forward With Plans to Kill the Penny

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Detectives Revive 2017 Drive-By Murder Case

DON'T MISS

Will the Pacific Coast Highway Reopen for Memorial Day Weekend?

DON'T MISS

The Artist Tree Set to Open Second Fresno Cannabis Location

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Is Fixing Accessibility to HR Building After Months of Complaints

DON'T MISS

Fresno Affordable Housing Takes a Huge Hit. State Kills City’s ‘Pro-Housing’ Status

DON'T MISS

Trump Admin Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students

DON'T MISS

Clovis North Seniors Barred from Walking at Graduation After Caught with Alcohol

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Pass Trump’s Big Bill of Tax Breaks and Program Cuts After All-Night Session

UP NEXT

CA State Senator Cited for Suspicion of Impaired Driving, Says She Wasn’t Intoxicated

UP NEXT

Kim Kardashian Dons a Graduation Cap and Marches Closer to Becoming a Lawyer

UP NEXT

Multiple People on Private Plane That Crashed Into San Diego Neighborhood Are Dead

UP NEXT

2 Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed in Shooting Near DC Jewish Museum

UP NEXT

Senate Votes to Block California’s Rule Banning the Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035

UP NEXT

Pacers Tie It on Haliburton’s Jumper at Buzzer, Then Beat Knicks in OT of East Finals Game 1

UP NEXT

The Coyotes of San Francisco Are the Subject of Great Debate

UP NEXT

What Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend

UP NEXT

What Does It Mean for Biden’s Prostate Cancer to Be ‘Aggressive’? A Urologic Surgeon Explains

UP NEXT

California Cop Was Partying at Festival While Collecting $600,000 for Fake Injury

Will the Pacific Coast Highway Reopen for Memorial Day Weekend?

13 hours ago

The Artist Tree Set to Open Second Fresno Cannabis Location

13 hours ago

Fresno Unified Is Fixing Accessibility to HR Building After Months of Complaints

13 hours ago

Fresno Affordable Housing Takes a Huge Hit. State Kills City’s ‘Pro-Housing’ Status

14 hours ago

Trump Admin Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students

15 hours ago

Clovis North Seniors Barred from Walking at Graduation After Caught with Alcohol

15 hours ago

House Republicans Pass Trump’s Big Bill of Tax Breaks and Program Cuts After All-Night Session

15 hours ago

Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Dismantling Education Department

16 hours ago

Gavin Newsom’s Off-the-Mark Budget Numbers Undermine His Credibility Again

16 hours ago

Meet Petunia. She Makes Hearts Melt With Every Purr

17 hours ago

Work Requirements Could Transform Medicaid and Food Aid Under US Budget Bill

The U.S. social safety net would be jolted if the budget bill backed by President Donald Trump and passed Thursday by the House of Represent...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Work Requirements Could Transform Medicaid and Food Aid Under US Budget Bill

12 hours ago

Stop Making Cents: US Mint Moves Forward With Plans to Kill the Penny

Huron 2017 Cold Case Murder
12 hours ago

Fresno County Detectives Revive 2017 Drive-By Murder Case

13 hours ago

Will the Pacific Coast Highway Reopen for Memorial Day Weekend?

13 hours ago

The Artist Tree Set to Open Second Fresno Cannabis Location

13 hours ago

Fresno Unified Is Fixing Accessibility to HR Building After Months of Complaints

14 hours ago

Fresno Affordable Housing Takes a Huge Hit. State Kills City’s ‘Pro-Housing’ Status

15 hours ago

Trump Admin Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend