The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts that this Monday The strong winds would continue to fuel the voracious fire that since the weekend has devastated thousands of acres of dry brush in the mountains surrounding Interstate 5, north of Los Angeles.
In its first bulletin this Monday, the NWS puts under some type of alert to practically all of northern Los Angeles either due to low air quality or strong winds, the main fuel of the so-called Post Fire, first major forest fire of the year in the area.
As of Sunday, about 12,200 acres had burned. Additionally, the fire forced about 1,200 people to evacuate and the Pyramid Lake preserve was closed to visitors.
This Monday, practically the entire central valley of California woke up under a ‘red flag warning’ from the NWS, which warns of the risk of forest fire due to high temperatures, low humidity and wind.
Post Fire: “You couldn’t even breathe”
The fire started Saturday in the Gorman area, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, near a McDonald’s restaurant located at the foot of the I-5 freeway.
“In a matter of seconds everything started to catch fire, everything was exploding. It was chaos, it was horrible. You couldn’t even breathe,” Elizabeth Mozo, a witness who saw how the fire started, told Univision.
No homes were threatened Sunday, but officials warned residents of Castaic, home to about 19,000 people, that they should prepare to leave if the fire moves further south.
“If you are in a warning area, be prepared with a ‘go bag’, with clothing for the night and your cell phone, your medications and your glasses. Refuel your car,” Haskett said. “Be prepared to evacuate.”
Univision journalist Romi de Frías confirmed how in one business alone there were dozens of burned cars.
More than 400 firefighters were deployed facing stifling and dangerous conditions in the rugged terrain. Kenichi Haskett, section chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said unpredictable gusts of wind blew embers from the flames onto members of his crew.
The gusts also hampered the efforts of aircraft crews working from the air. “When it’s windy, it just takes the water where we don’t need it. So that’s a challenge,” Haskett said.
The flames were moving toward Pyramid Lake, a popular destination for water sports enthusiasts that was closed as a precaution, ruining Father’s Day for many.
With information from AP and EFE.
