A wildfire in the hills above Rancho Cucamonga, CA has grown to 1,000 acres in size.
The wildfire, dubbed the Etiwanda fire, was first reported to authorities Wednesday morning. At the time it was believed to cover nearly 200 acres. The Los Angeles Times reports that strong Santa Ana winds, blowing at up to 80 mph, helped the fire grow to 1,000 acres by Thursday morning.
KTLA 5 reports an air response including “two air tankers and several helicopters” were waiting on standby until winds dropped below 30 mph. The aircraft were also grounded all day Wednesday by gusts as high as 70 mph.
Yesterday afternoon authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of 1,600 homes but that was later changed to a voluntary evacuation. Several area schools were closed for a second day.
KTLA also reports that one home was damaged and two firefighters reported “minor” eye injuries. The Times reportedWednesday that “550 personnel and 30 engines” were involved in fighting the blaze.
Weather is expected to cool off in southern California Friday. The following report by KCAL 9 shows some images of the fire as it appeared yesterday evening.