Fast-moving brush fire above Devore burns 1,500 acres, nearby homes evacuated
DEVORE, Calif. -- A brush fire above Devore quickly exploded to 1,500 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest on Tuesday as the flames incinerated the bone-dry hillsides near the Cajon Pass.
WATCH LIVE: AIR7 HD over fast-moving brush fire above Devore
Fire officials confirmed that structures were destroyed in the fire in the Swarthout Canyon area.
The blaze first ignited shortly after 10:30 a.m. in the Cajon Pass near Kenwood Avenue, west of I-15, fire officials said.
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS
* Lone Pine Canyon
* Swarthout Canyon
* West Cajon Valley
* Lytle Creek Canyon.
ROAD CLOSURES
* Northbound and southbound I-15 from the 215 Freeway to Oak Hill Road
* Highway 138 from Highway 2 to Summit Valley Road
* Lone Pine Road
* Swarthout Canyon
* Old Cajon Road from Cleghorn Street to Kenwood Avenue
EVACUATION CENTER
* Jessie Turner Community Center - 15556 Summit Avenue in Fontana
High temperatures and heavy fuel caused the fire to quickly spread from five acres to 1,000 acres within a span of about an hour. Firefighters are dealing with 10 mph winds, which triggered small spot fires around the blaze initially ignited.
Firefighters battling the blaze were reported to have suffered some minor injuries.
The flames were seen moving dangerously close to power lines. Southern California Gas Co. and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews were called to the scene.
