Alpine fire: California wildfires incinerate DOZENS of homes – blaze spreads to 400acres
WILDFIRES have swept through California again, decimating acres of land and destroying dozens of homes. Here is the latest news on the Alpine fire.
By VICKIIE OLIPHANT
Express.co.uk
Sat, Jul 7, 2018
A brush fire that started in San Deigo on Friday has incinerated more than 400 acres of land and destroy dozens of homes in the foothill community of Alpine.
Residents of Alpine were issued immediate evacuation orders as the fire spread along the busy Interstate 8.
The brush fire sparked at around 11.30am local time, amid a scorching heatwave that sent the temperatures into triple digits.
The fire began at Willows Road and Alpine boulevard, burning multiple homes as the blaze spread to cover more than 150 acres in less than three hours.
“Currently, we’re at 400 acres and we have 5 percent containment,” said Cal Fire spokesperson Kendal Bortisser.
“We still have a lot of open lines out there. Firefighters are making great progress but there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Shocking images taken from the edge of the community show the bright orange flames licking at the burning buildings, as the sky darkens with thick black smoke.
Cal Fire officials initially described the fire as burning at a “critical rate of spread.”
Dozens of homes have been reduced to rubble – with the number of homes lost still unconfirmed for now.
Now firefighters’ greatest concern is the hot spots in between structures that are still a threat.
“We’re keeping everything out here throughout the night to mitigate all of those hot spots that are within the fire perimeter,” Cal Fire Division Chief Daryll Pina said.
The entire community at Alpine Oaks Estate was immediately evacuated after the fire started, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.
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