USA- Southern California‎-AUGUST 17, 2016-Firefighters battling the Blue Cut Fire faced another difficult and challenging day Wednesday as the massive blaze, which had destroyed a number of structures and forced tens of thousands of residents out of their homes, continued to burn out of control after erupting the previous day in the Cajon Pass.

 
 A home is engulfed in flames as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California

The fire had burned 30,000 acres, or nearly 47 square miles, as of Wednesday morning, according to the incident information website on the fire. Containment remained at 0 percent.

Video showed a number of structures have burned in the fire, but authorities have not provided an exact number as of Wednesday morning.
“We’re not going to be able to look at those numbers or assess those numbers until first light when we can get up with our air assets and our damage assessment teams,” said Eric Sherwin, an information officer with the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, who surveyed the fire zone by air Wednesday morning, described the damage as “devastating.”
He told reporters during a morning news briefing that “a lot” of homes have been destroyed.
“There will be a lot of families that come home to nothing,” Hartwig said. “If there’s a bright side … there are some homes that were saved.”

Residents watch in despair as the Blue Cut fire burns homes on the hillside off Highway 138 in Summit Valley

Among the destroyed buildings was the landmarkSummit Inn Restaurant in Oak Hills, which burned Tuesday afternoon after standing for 60 years along historic Route 66.

Defending and protecting threatened structures from the fire and establishing containment lines will be the priority for Wednesday, according to the InciWeb page.

“It’s challenging when we’re up against a fire that is burning so aggressively, that we’re really struggling to keep up with it,” Cal Fire Unit Chief Glenn Barley said.

More than 1,300 firefighters were on hand to battle the wildfire. Crews are utilizing 152 engines, 18 crews, eight air tankers — including two very large tankers, or VLATs — and eight helicopters in the firefight.

The fire broke out Tuesday at about 10:36 a.m. in the Cajon Pass near Kenwood Avenue, just west of the 15 Freeway.

“It hit hard. It hit fast. It hit with an intensity that we haven’t seen before,” Hartwig said.
At one point, six firefighters became trapped by the wildfire while defending homes in Swarthout Canyon west of the Cajon Pass, according to the information website.

A firefighter battles the Blue Cut wildfire near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino.

The firefighters were able to shelter in place within a nearby structure, but two sustained minor injuries.
“As of right now we’re fortunate to say we have not suffered any loss of life to civilians or firefighters,” Sherwin said Wednesday morning.

Cadaver dogs are being sent to check properties along Highway 138, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Chon Bribiescas told the Los Angeles Times.

A number of residents “made the decision to shelter in place,” he said. “The fire came so quickly … we want to make sure nobody was left behind.”
The fire also created a traffic nightmare in the area, with dozens of big rigs packing the Pilot Travel Center in Hesperia Wednesday as drivers waited for the 15 Freeway to reopen.

The freeway, among the many road closures in the area, was shut down in both directions Tuesday. All northbound lanes were closed at the 215 Freeway, while southbound traffic was stopped at Ranchero, according to the information website.
There was no estimate on when the closures would be lifted.

On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency as the fire exploded within the first few hours, charring some 18,000 acres by nightfall.

Motorists flee The Blue Cut fire as it burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for about 82,640 people in more than 30,000 residences, including the entire community of Wrightwood.
Fire officials urged residents to heed evacuation orders and to get out when they’re told.
“If we ask you to leave, you have to leave,” said John Miller of the U.S.  Forest Service. “The worst thing that can happen is folks to wait to the last minute, dial 911 and firefighters and law enforcement are unable to get people out of their homes.”

Blue Cut Fire: Full List of Mandatory Evacuations, Road and School Closures
Evacuation centers were open at the Jessie Turner Community Center, located at 15556 Summit Avenue in Fontana and at Sultana High School, located at 17311 Sultana Street in Hesperia.

Several shelters were also available to those with large and small animals.
The Silverwood Lake State Recreation Center was also closed as a result of the Blue Cut Fire.

An air tanker drops fire retardant near homes as the Blue Cut fire burns out of control on both sides of Highway 138 in Summit Valley, California
As flames continued to spread rapidly in the area, crews were working at a frantic to contain the massive blaze.

Hot, dry and breezy conditions are forecast, and a red flag warning was scheduled to last for the next several days, according to Incident Commander Mike Wakoski.
Temperatures are forecast to top 100 degrees in the fire zone, with humidity falling below 10 percent, he said at the briefing.
The fire is burning in heavy brush, and Wakoski described the fuels as “extremely dry” and “very explosive.”
“In my 40 years of firefighting, I have never seen fire behavior so extreme as it was yesterday,” he said. “Rapid rates of spread. We’ve had spotting up to half a mile ahead of the fire.”
Conditions from the ongoing statewide drought in California, which has lasted for more than five years, has also created problems for firefighters.

 A cat wandering around jumps way from hot surface and flames emitting at still smoldering structure at Hess Road.

“This is a challenging year,” Barley said. “The fires are burning really in an unprecedented fashion.  It’s to the point where explosive fire growth is the new normal.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke advisory through Wednesday morning for areas directly impacted by the smoke.

Areas include portions of Northwest San Bernardino Valley, especially near Devore; portions of the Central San Bernardino Mountains, portions of the West San Bernardino Mountains and portions of the Central San Bernardino Valley.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, and investigators are working to determine how it started.