Crews battling wind-driven fire in Southern California's high desert make progress

Yahoo

a day ago

Firefighters made progress battling a wind-driven brush fire burning in steep, rugged terrain south of Apple Valley overnight.
The Ranch fire, which has burned through 4,205 acres of vegetation, is now 10% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced Wednesday morning.
The fire destroyed at least two structures and multiple vehicles on Tuesday afternoon, according to video footage from OnSceneTV.
Conditions on the ground for Wednesday are expected to be dry, with humidity topping off at 15% and wind gusts up to 30 mph on the ridge tops, Cal Fire spokesperson Chloe Castillo said. The winds are expected to pick up in the early afternoon and there is little chance for conditions to calm down overnight and into Thursday.
The fire was first reported after 2 p.m. on Tuesday and quickly spread with shifting strong winds. Within two hours the fire spread over 1,500 acres.
"The fire burned through a large amount of vegetation, with winds shifting from north east to southern winds and spreading the fire in both directions," Castillo said.
Another factor that complicated the response to the fire was the low-lying smoke. The lack of visibility hampered the effectiveness of aircraft assisting firefighters, Castillo said.
Evacuation orders for the high desert area were still in effect Wednesday morning. The evacuation zone stretches from Milpas Drive to High Road, about 8 miles southeast of Apple Valley.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.