BEAUMONT, Calif. — A rapidly spreading wildfire chewed through a rugged Southern California mountain range Thursday, destroying at least 10 homes, threatening more than 500 other residences and forcing about 1,500 people to flee.
Five people were injured, while more than 1,000 firefighters, 13 helicopters and six air tankers battled the flames as they pushed eastward along the San Jacinto Mountains, a desert range 90 miles east of Los Angeles, said Cal Fire Riverside Chief John R. Hawkins.
A man near the origin of the Silver wildfire suffered serious burns, Hawkins said. Four firefighters were injured, including two who suffered heat exhaustion.
At least 10 homes have been destroyed, and Hawkins said that number would likely triple as authorities make their way into the charred areas to assess the damage.
Hawkins said the wind-fed fire that sparked at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday is one of the “most rapidly spreading, dangerous fires that I’ve seen” in his 50 years as a firefighter.
The fire was estimated at 17 square miles Thursday with 10 percent containment, but it was still growing, causing concern that the direction could change.
“The conditions at the front right now are very dangerous,” Hawkins said.
