Thousands flee as wildfires rage in US state

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) – Thousands of southern California residents fled their homes Wednesday as wildfires continue to rapidly advance, leaving devastation in their wake.

The Blue Cut fire has engulfed more than 30,000 acres since Tuesday, and is zero percent contained by firefighters, according to Cal Fire public information chief Daniel Berlant.

Approximately 80,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes in the affected area, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon told reporters. He said it is currently spreading to the west.

San Bernardino Fire Chief Mark Hartwig summed up the carnage, saying it is “devastating.

“It hit hard, it hit fast, it hit with an intensity that we haven’t seen before,” he said. "There will be a lot of families that will come home to nothing. If there’s a bright side, a silver lining, there are some homes that were saved.”

Firefighters are working tirelessly to bring the inferno under control as it begins to head toward the Lytle Creek area but high winds and temperatures are hindering control efforts.

Despite the fire’s ferocity, no deaths have yet been reported.

The blaze is currently 60 miles east of Los Angeles, the U.S.’s second largest city.

Two other fires, the Clayton Fire and the Chimney Fire, are less than 50 percent contained, and have combined to destroy more than 11,000 acres, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Both fires began Saturday.