3 hurt in S. California wildfire; some can't evacuate

Resident Dave Clark tells some neighbors their home is OK while his own house burns behind him, Wednesday, Aug. 7, near Banning, Calif.

A California wildfire broke out Wednesday and quickly grew to 5,000 acres, threatening three towns and destroying at least two homes.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. — Authorities say three people have been injured and some residents and sheriff's deputies are stuck inside an evacuation area amid a huge and growing wildfire in Southern California.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller said Wednesday night one civilian was burned and airlifted to a hospital. Two firefighters were also injured, but details were unavailable.

State fire spokeswoman Julie Hutchinson says the wildfire near Banning was blocking the highway escape route of some residents who have been told to shelter in place. Deputies who were trying to help them evacuate were also forced to remain.
It was not clear how many people were involved. Hutchinson says officials are trying to assess how they are doing.

The fire broke out Wednesday in a rural area in Southern California and grew with extreme speed, threatening three communities where people were evacuated and apparently burning at least two homes.

The fire started about 2 p.m., and about four hours later, it had surged to 5,000 acres, or nearly 8 square miles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

TV news cameras have shown at least five structures burning in isolated areas, and at least two of them appeared to be homes, but fire officials would not confirm that homes had burned.

More than 400 firefighters, five helicopters and five air tanker planes were working to get ahead of the flames in Riverside County near Banning.

Mandatory evacuations have been called for the rural communities of Poppet Flats, Twin Pines and Silent Valley. It wasn't immediately clear how many homes or people were affected.

Evacuation centers were set up at high schools in Hemet and Banning.

Temperatures in the area were in the high 80s and low 90s Wednesday afternoon, with winds blowing up to 20 mph.
State Route 243, a mountain road between Banning and Idyllwild, was closed to nonemergency traffic.
About 30 miles to the southwest, firefighters were working on a 1,100-acre wildfire that has been burning since Monday southwest of Lake Elsinore. That blaze is 73 percent contained, and full containment was expected by Friday.
The blaze caused evacuations the night it broke out, but the last of them were called off Tuesday night.