More On: brushfire in California
A rapidly spreading brushfire in California has engulfed homes and forced evacuations
Authorities say two people were killed and many homes were destroyed by a swiftly spreading California wildfire that spanned hundreds of acres on Monday.
According to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, the brushfire, called the "Fairview Fire" because to its proximity to Fairview Avenue in the city of Hemet, began shortly after 2 p.m.
Residents in the nearby region have been asked to evacuate, according to a tweet from the department.
The evacuation order initially included about 1,500 residences, but it was expanded to include more regions as the evening continued, according to KABC.
According to the authorities, the fire destroyed seven structures and damaged numerous more.
A half-dozen homes were among the structures burned by the flames, according to CBS Los Angeles.
A person with burns on their arms, back, and face was also sent to the hospital. According to the TV network, fire crews rescued a large number of people who were trapped by flames.
During a briefing with smoke billowing in the background, Captain Richard Cordova claimed that the fire quickly spread before firemen arrived. First responders, he said, were going door to door to get residents to flee the threatened area.
So far, none of the about 200 firefighters battling the flames have been injured, he said.
According to authorities, the vegetation fire had spread to 700 acres and was just 5% contained. Cordova went on to say that planes overhead were dropping fire retardant and water.
The rapidly expanding fire, according to KABC-TV, comes in the middle of a protracted drought and temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.
“It’s in some remote areas where it is challenging for firefighters, especially in this extreme heat that we’re experiencing this last couple of weeks, if not couple of months,” Cordova said during the update.
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