200 homes evacuated in S. California due to wildfire
San Francisco: A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has forced the evacuation of 200 homes, authorities said.
Dubbed the “Apple Fire”, the blaze ravaged 900 acres in five hours after it was first reported on Friday with zero containment in the Riverside County, reports Xinhua news agency.
Four helicopters, seven air tanks, and 375 firefighters are fighting the blaze, the county’s fire department said, adding that so far no home was damaged and no injuries were reported.
The wildfire scene is located near a community with about 5,000 residents named Cherry Valley, 110 km east of Los Angeles downtown.
This is the latest wildfire in Southern California, where several blazes have erupted due to dangerously hot conditions with low humidity.
Several inland and valley areas in Southern California set daily heat records for the date, including Thermal and the city of Palm Spring, both located near Cherry Valley.
Thermal, in the Coachella Valley, had a high of 48.9 degrees Celsius Friday, breaking a 1996 record by one degree, while Palm Springs, at 50 degrees Celsius tied a 1957 record.