Residents flee raging California ‘Silver Fire’ (VIDEO)
Residents near Banning in Southern California have been evacuated as a fast-moving wildfire continues to grow.
LOS ANGELES — More than 1,500 residents have fled their homes to escape a raging wildfire in the inland Southern California mountains.
A thousand firefighters continued to battle Thursday against the flames that have already consumed roughly 15 ½ square miles.
The fire, named the Silver Fire, broke out Wednesday afternoon and within hours had exploded into an uncontrolled blaze that trapped firefighters and left three people injured.
"Unfortunately the size of this fire continues to take away any progress that we’re making," Daniel Berlant, spokesman for Cal Fire, the state department of forestry and fire protection said.
Residents and sheriff's deputies near Banning became trapped on Wednesday night as their highway escape route became blocked by the fire.
Julie Hutchinson, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that some who were trying to escape were forced to take shelter inside their homes.
"There was an area in there that got trapped in the middle," Hutchinson said. "We're in there trying to assess how they are all doing now."
Evacuations have been ordered for three nearby communities and fire officials estimated 15 structures have so far been burned.
Lili Arroyo, 83, told the Associated Press that she was already packing her belongings when firefighters arrived at her home.
"The smoke was so bad you couldn’t see," she said. "There were embers and ash coming down all over the sky. The smoke was really thick. I was starting not to be able to breathe."
Palm Springs International Airport, about 20 miles east, had delayed flights due to reduced visibility, reports The Desert Sun.
"Within just the last half hour the smoke intensity is now affecting visibility and it is affecting airline flights," said Tom Nolan, executive director of the airport.
"The airport remains open, but it is the individual airlines that must determine if they can land or not in these conditions."
Raw video of the fire seen from Highway 243 to Banning:
This video shows billowing smoke in the fire's first few hours:
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