Evacuated residents in limbo as wildfire burns in California
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Twisted metal gates and rusted mailboxes remained where houses once stood. Flames had turned a lot full of cars — including some vintage models — into a junkyard of hollowed-out shells. Countless trees were scorched or gone.
Scenes of destruction were everywhere Thursday after a huge wildfire sped through mountains and high desert 60 miles east of Los Angeles so swiftly that it took seasoned firefighters off guard.
An aerial flyover revealed significant property loss, but crews were just beginning to comb through the rubble to document the devastation.
“Most of the areas where there was structural damage, they’re still smouldering,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jake Rodriguez said.