Firefighters in the western U.S. state of California have made some progress containing a wildfire that has burned more than 12,000 hectares since Tuesday, but authorities warned that while they do not know how many homes have been destroyed, the number will be large.
“It hit hard. It hit fast. It hit with an intensity that we hadn’t see before,” said San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. “There will be a lot of families that come home to nothing.”
The fire is in a mountainous area north of the city of San Bernardino, burning brush and sending large amounts of white and black smoke into the sky. More than 1,500 firefighters are already on the ground and more are on their way to help. READ MORE OF THIS REPORT
SOURCES: VOA News Online