LOS ANGELES—A wildfire that destroyed 18 homes has surged back to unpredictable life, darkening the skies north of Los Angeles with black smoke and driving thousands from their homes.
Some evacuees were about to return to their homes Sunday, two days after the fire broke out, when unexpected winds stirred up the blaze.
“All the experience we’ve had with fires is out the window,” said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp, one of many who noted the fires special volatility on Sunday.
The blaze had burned through at least 51 square miles of brush and destroyed at least 18 homes, but those numbers could well take a leap Monday when better assessment is done at daylight. Winds were expected to dip and temperatures break overnight before a heating trend toward triple-digits comes later Monday. One person has been found dead in the fire zone. His death was under investigation.
Juliet Kinikin said Sunday there was panic as the sky became dark with smoke and flames moved closer to her home a day earlier in the Sand Canyon area of Los Angeles County.
“And then we just focused on what really mattered in the house,” she told The Associated Press.
