(Photo : Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
CHERRY VALLEY, CA - AUGUST 01: Flames and heavy smoke approach on a western front of the Apple Fire, consuming brush and forest at a high rate of speed during an excessive heat warning on August 1, 2020 in Cherry Valley, California. The fire began shortly before 5 p.m. the previous evening, threatening a large number of homes overnight and forcing thousands to flee before exploding to 12,000 acres this afternoon, mostly climbing the steep wilderness slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains.
Multiple aircraft, along with more than a thousand firefighters in the Southern California area worked hand in hand in a goal to battle the blaze that engulfed more than 20,000 acres of land near Beaumont, California, Sunday.
The so-called Apple Fire lit up on Friday as two separate small fires which merged to create the devastating blaze. Fueled by the low humidity, thick vegetation, a slight breeze, and high temperature the fire continued to grow. This has also caused smoke to drift towards Arizona and threaten thousands of people who live in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
According to CNN, by 10 AM on Sunday, the fire has already engulfed around 20,516 acres of land. Three structures were already taken down by the fire during the same time and were nowhere around containment despite the efforts of around 1200 firefighters and air-dropped fire retardants.
Fire Displaces Thousands
On Saturday, around 2600 homes were evacuated due to the fire displacing 7,800 individuals, as stated by the officials. Fortunately, no injuries were reported
Based on reports, as soon as the fires started on Friday, several witnesses immediately called 911 and reported seeing a man strolling through the Apple Tree Lane in Cherry Valley igniting the blaze as he passed. At the moment, the officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
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According to fire department spokesperson Fernando Herrera, the fire started on two different sides. On the west, it started in San Bernardino County in the Forest Falls area, while on the east the fire was headed towards Riverside County in the Morongo Band of Mission Indians' reservation.
A portion of the reservation was also evacuated while other sections were placed under a warning. Meanwhile, a resort and spa located in the south of Morongo have not been affected by any notice of evacuation.
Moreover, Herrera stated that throughout the night, firefighters battled the fire and built fire lines with the help of hand crews and bulldozers. This was done anticipating continued aerial attacks as the sun rises. He also emphasized that access to the area was limited since the terrain was steep. Thus, they relied more on the aircraft provided to do most of the work.
According to USA Today, the Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) was brought in by officials on Saturday in order to help with the containment. The VLAT is an air tanker which has the capacity to drop 10,000 gallons of fire retardant at a single time. Along the tanker were also several air tankers that targeted the northwest corner of the fire.
The Apple Fire started to ignite around 5 PM on Friday in Cherry Valley at the 9000 blocks of Oak Glen Road. The area is only a few miles in the north of Beaumont, California.
Electricity along Oak Glen Road and streets within the proximity were immediately shut off after the request of the fire department. The said act was a precaution taken in order to avoid more fires to break out sine transmission lines have dropped and power poles have collapsed.
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