HEMET, Calif. ? A wildfire in the Southern California mountains shut down the famed Pacific Crest Trail and was threatening a popular tourist destination Thursday, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 6,000 residents and tourists.
The blaze about 100 miles east of Los Angeles had grown to more than 35 square miles in size and had destroyed at least six houses and mobile homes. Tensions heightened late Wednesday after winds shifted, causing the fire to change course and head in the direction of Idyllwild, an artist community and hiking destination in the San Jacinto Mountains.
By midday, flames wreathed a ridge above the town and were about 2 to 3 miles away, fire officials said.
Lewis Millett left behind his three-story home Wednesday after hearing the evacuation order on the radio.
"It's never been this bad, and it's never been this close," Millett, 61, said as he sat on a cot in an evacuation center in Hemet, a nearby community. "I have high anxiety."
Millett and his wife gathered up his paintings, sculptures and prized family heirlooms, including a Medal of Honor given to his father in 1951 and several autographed pictures signed by U.S. presidents. An artist, he has lived in the area for three decades.
"It's like an island in this beautiful forest," Millett said. "It's a great place to live."
Fire officials said the blaze was just 15 percent contained and had been growing in a manner that was unlike what they typically experience. Tina Rose, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the behavior was extreme.
"Usually it cools down at night and we get more humidity. That hasn't happened," she said. "It's been burning like it's daytime for 72 hours in a row."
Source: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/jul/18/southern-california-fire-forces-evacuation-mountai/
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