Los Angeles-area wildfire burns almost 4,000 acres, homes and cars

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., July 17 (UPI) -- A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California jumped a busy freeway around rush hour Friday, setting several vehicles and homes on fire and torching nearly 4,000 acres of land -- the flames from which could be seen for miles, fire officials said.

The North Fire reached Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass -- about 65 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains -- on Friday afternoon. It started around 2:30 p.m. local time and had consumed about 3,500 acres by Friday evening, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said.

Fire officials said on Twitter that at least four homes have so far been destroyed and mandatory evacuations were issued for nearby areas. At least 20 vehicles were also destroyed and several more were damaged.

Drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles on the crowded freeway just before rush hour, and fire crews were delayed in their arrival at the scene by traffic. As many as 70 vehicles were abandoned on the freeway, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Helicopters dropped fire retardant on the burning vehicles as some of the drivers looked on from the freeway's shoulder.

"I've never seen anything like this before," California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Carapia said.

According to authorities, 22 engines, two water tenders, two airplanes, three helicopters and six fixed-wing air tankers are fighting the blaze.

Josh Wilkins, with the San Bernardino County Fire Department, told Los Angeles' KTLA-TV Friday that high winds between 40 and 45 mph fanned the flames.

It wasn't immediately known whether anyone was injured, but the fire department tweeted earlier, "MassCasualty incident dispatched for possible multiple civilian burn victims."

Authorities said all southbound lanes of I-15, the main traffic artery between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and two northbound lanes were shut down at one point.

Friday evening, officials said the fire was about 5 percent contained. The cause of the wildfire is not yet known.