A wildfire that started on Tuesday afternoon north of the San Bernardino Mountains had exploded to over 4,000 acres by nighttime, driven by high winds and dry conditions, officials said. It had prompted evacuation orders and was threatening multiple properties, officials said.
The vegetation fire was threatening multiple buildings in and around Apple Valley, a town of about 75,000 people about 60 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Firefighters were battling to contain the blaze, which was zero percent contained on Tuesday night.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation order for an area about four miles wide on the edge of the town, warning of an extreme threat to life. A number single-story homes and some ranches appeared to be within the evacuation zone.
Strong winds, low humidity and a dry landscape had accelerated the spread of the fire, said Chloe Castillo, a Cal Fire spokeswoman. “There’s a lot of desert brush that’s out there that it’s making its way through,” she said.
The winds had dropped drastically on Tuesday night, giving firefighters a reprieve, but were expected to pick up again to about 15 miles per hour later in the night, Ms. Castillo said. Humidity would not increase enough overnight to give firefighters a significant advantage, she said, adding that water bombing aircraft would be deployed on Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out at about 2:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire, and its cause was under investigation.
