Calif. Silver Fire Spreads to 10,000 Acres From 2,500 Overnight

Dubbed the “Silver Fire” in Riverside County, Southern California, a brush fire that has seriously injured a local resident spread from 2,500 acres Wednesday night to 10,000 as of Thursday morning, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Silver Fire Spreads to 10,000 Acres From 2,500 Overnight
Multiple structures burn in the Poppet Flats area as the Silver Fire roared through the area along Hwy 243 between Banning and Idyllwild, Calif. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/The Press-Enterprise, Frank Bellino)
Tara MacIsaac
8/8/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

Dubbed the “Silver Fire” in Riverside County, Southern California, a brush fire that has seriously injured a local resident spread from 2,500 acres Wednesday night to 10,000 as of Thursday morning, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Roughly 1,500 residents have been evacuated and 15 structures destroyed, including homes, reports the Times.

The resident that was seriously injured was burned “from head to toe,” Cal Fire Riverside Chief John R. Hawkins told NBC Los Angeles. At least two other residents suffered injuries.

Some 400 firefighters were on scene to battle the blaze Wednesday night, reports The Associated Press. The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon. As of Thursday morning, about 1,000 firefighters were on site, reports the Los Angeles Times. The number of helicopters assisting the efforts rose from five to 13 from Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Times it is very important for people to evacuate in a timely manner to avoid congestion at a critical time: “When they wait to the last minute [to evacuate], they’re trying to get out as we’re trying to get in.”

He added that there are “a lot of active fronts on this fire.”