Officials now say that a wildfire burning out of control in the Los Padres National Forest has grown to 25-hundred acres. Windy conditions have fanned the blaze, which is one of three burning in Southern California. Two campgrounds have been evacuated, and about 18 miles of the scenic Highway 33 is closed. The fire is burning miles from the nearest town, and only a handful of homes along Highway 33 were being threatened. At least four buildings on a ranch were destroyed. Air tankers, water-dropping helicopters and more than 900 firefighters are attacking the blaze, the cause of which is under investigation.
Meanwhile, firefighters are still battling a 26-hundred-acre blaze in the San Bernardino National Forest. That fire, which began Friday, is about 60 percent contained. And just miles from that fire, a new blaze has broken out, east of Hemet. That fire has consumed about 500 acres along Highway 74 in the San Bernardino National Forest.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:27 pm