Wildfire Burns 7 Homes in California
Blaze headed toward Palm Springs
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A new, rapidly growing wildfire in Southern California has torched seven homes and forced authorities to close part of the Pacific Crest Trail since starting on Monday. As of Tuesday, over 2,200 firefighters and 25 aircraft were battling the 14,200-acre Mountain fire west of Palm Springs, and had it about 10% contained.
Despite the destruction, the toll could have been much higher, the Forest Service said in a report, adding that firefighters’ efforts managed to protect a much larger number of homes. “Honestly, we thought that the structure destruction was greater than it is,” agency spokesman John Miller told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
While firefighters hope that rain on Saturday could help shrink the blaze, they won’t get any relief until then: Temperatures in the Palm Springs area are forecast to exceed 100 degrees through Friday.
Via U.S. News