Southern California fire grows to 2,000 acres; evacuations expanded – USA TODAY
MURIETTA, Calif. – The Tenaja Fire continued to burn in Southern California on Thursday, charring some 2,000 acres and triggering mandatory evacuations for hundreds of residents, authorities said.
As of Thursday morning, the fire was 7% contained, Cal Fire said.
The fire broke out about 4 p.m. Wednesday in La Cresta, a community perched above Murrieta that contains sprawling, multimillion-dollar estates about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Cal Fire reported at about 3 p.m. Thursday that it had grown to 2,000 acres – about 3 square miles.
Cal Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said as many as 400 firefighters responded to the blaze.
Mandatory evacuations remained in effect Thursday for parts of La Cresta. In addition, evacuations were ordered for parts of Murrieta.
Thursday afternoon, the fire appeared to expand to near Copper Canyon, where winds were expected to whip up.
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Stephanie Liesenfelt lives at the foot of the Copper Canyon hill, where flames burned Thursday afternoon. Her belongings were already packed. But she took one last precaution and hosed down her home.
“This may help, or it may not if embers come flying,” she said.
She was prepared to hold out for as long as possible but was ready to leave the moment firefighters asked.
“My stuff is not worth more than anyone’s life,” Liesenfelt said.
Dan Hoekstra said he watched as the flames grew near and “my wife started crying. She started crying and screaming for us to get out.”
They fled their home, but decided against leaving their neighborhood because they knew they wouldn’t be allowed back in. Instead, they sat in their car for about 20 “agonizing” minutes while their street was engulfed in smoke.
He eventually joined onlookers watching firefighters attack the flames by ground and air. Walking with his dog, Lottie, he returned to their home and found it intact.
Riverside County officials issued a health warning and urged residents to limit outdoor activities because of smoke and ash generated by the fire. Temecula and Lake Elsinore are among communities in the warning areas.
“Ash and smoke can be hard on anyone to breathe, but especially those with lung disease,” said Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer. “Everyone worries about the flames, but smoke can impact you even if you’re miles away from the fire.”
A battalion chief at the scene said the flames appeared to be headed toward an old burn scar, which could starve the flames of fuel overnight. A thunderstorm moved through the area just prior to the fire, and it was suspected that a lightning strike ignited it.
So far, no damage has been reported to Southern California Edison power poles and lines, according to Troy Whitman, who works in the agency’s fire management department.
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