The Bobcat and Eldorado fires are on the desert side away from Los Angeles area and burning near Pearblossom and
Bobcat and El Dorado fires
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Some Antelope Valley communities told to evacuate as Bobcat Fire grows
Evacuation order in place for foothill communities; Littlerock, Pearblossom under warning
Strong winds pushed a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles onto the desert floor and spread it rapidly in several directions, causing it to explode in size and destroy homes, officials said Saturday.
Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby's gender.
The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
Bobcat Fire
In northern Los Angeles County, increasingly erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire toward foothill communities in the Antelope Valley after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. An evacuation order was issued Saturday for all residents in that zone as the fire burned toward Wrightwood, said fire spokesman Andrew Mitchell.
As of 1 a.m. Sunday, about 4,000 residents were under an evacuation order that extended east to the San Bernardino County line. The communities of Littlerock and Pearblossom were under an evacuation warning.
The winds and thick smoke over the area grounded water-dropping aircraft most of the day. Meanwhile, crews on the ground shifted from attacking the blaze to protecting homes because they were "outflanked" by the flames, fire spokeswoman Kerry Gillibrand said.
The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles.
Some residents in Juniper Hills — an unincorporated LA County community south of Littlerock and Pearblossom — fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing said she feared her family's house was lost after seeing on Twitter that a neighbor's house three doors down went up in flames.
"The past year, I poured my heart and soul into improving this home," Lensing said. "And it could be ripped away so quickly."
It wasn't immediately clear how many homes were burned in the area about 44 miles southwest of Victorville. A crew will assess damages once the area is cleared of danger, said fire spokesman Sky Cornell.
The extent of the destruction in the area roughly 44 miles southwest of Victorville. wasn’t immediately clear. But, Los Angeles County park officials said the blaze destroyed the nature center at Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area, a geological wonder that attracts some 130,000 visitors per year.
No injuries were reported.
He said crews will take advantage of slightly cooler temperatures to make headway on Saturday. However, winds were expected to remain strong with possible gusts of up to 25 mph.
On the south side of the blaze, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles. The site has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California.
Also on the south side, evacuation warnings were lifted for Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte and Bradbury, according to InciWeb.
The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. Shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, the Bobcat Fire had burned 93,842 acres and was 15% contained.
Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited available resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines.
Evacuation warnings remained in effect for several communities, including Wrightwood. Officials said that with the fire’s rapid spread, Wrightwood and neighboring Big Pines “will be impacted very soon.”
Here are the evacuation orders in place for the Bobcat Fire as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to InciWeb:
- South of 138th St East, North of Big Pines Hwy and Hwy 2, West of 263rd East, East of Largo Vista Rd.
- North of Angeles Crest North and between Clear Creek Station and Hwy 39.
- Including the area East of Devils Punch Bowl Rd, South of the Big Pines Hwy, North of the Big Rock Creek, and West of Jackson Lake.
- Aqueduct - South of Pearblossom Hwy (SR138), North of Big Pines, East of 165th and West of Largo Vista Rd.
- Ward- North of Fort Tejon Rd, South of Avenue V, East of 87th E., West of 121 St E.
- Longview-South of Avenue 12, North of Aqueduct, West of 165 St E and East of 121 St E.
- Tejon - South of Fort Tejon Rd, North of Cooley Place, East of 89th St. E. and West of Longview Rd.
- Peach - North of Pallett Creek, South of W. 114th St., East of Longview Rd and West of 165th St.
- Cima Block - 96th east to 116th St. E/Fort Tejon Rd south to SR 2
- Juniper Block- 116th E to Devis Punchbowl Rd / Fort Tejor Rd to SR 2
- Punchbowl Block - Devils Punchbowl Rd to and including Fenner Camp
- Paradise Block - Fenner Camp to intersection of SR 2 and Big Pines
- Chilao, the CalTrans Yard, the 3 Points area and the Angeles Crest Christian Camp were all issued Evacuation Orders Crystal Lake area remains under Evacuation Order.
Six firefighting aircraft could be seen circling over Oak Hills on Saturday afternoon, including a DC-10 Air Tanker. The aircraft, with the callsign Tanker 914, flew over the area of the Bobcat Fire, an flight tracking app showed.
El Dorado Fire
The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified.
"Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time," Forest Service spokesperson Zach Behrens said in the statement.
No other information was released about the firefighter, the agency the firefighter worked for or the circumstances of the death. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles.
News channel KESQ posted a video of procession on Facebook.
A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state.
The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 22,400 acres and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged.
Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.
The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.
Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire.
As of Saturday afternoon, Big Bear had not been issued any evacuation directives related to the El Dorado Fire.
Other fires in California
A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs. More than 6,000 acres had burned with 15% containment as of Saturday evening.
To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King.
More than 7,900 wildfires have burned over 5,468 square miles in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation.
Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio and Managing Editor Matthew Cabe contributed to this report.
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