China News Service, San Francisco, August 4th. As of the afternoon of the 3rd local time, the "Apple Fire" spreading in Riverside County and San Bernardino County, California, has burned more than 10,000 hectares, about 8,000. Residents were forced to evacuate their homes.
The wildfire named "Apple Fire" ignited on July 31 near "Apple Tree Alley" about 120 kilometers east of Los Angeles. As of August 3, the fire area exceeded 10,000 hectares, and only 5% of the fire was achieved. control.
On the afternoon of July 31, local time, a fire ignited in Cherry Valley in Riverside County, southern California. At least 2,600 houses and nearly 8,000 residents in the area have been ordered to evacuate.
CBS cited information from the California Forestry and Fire Department that the "apple wildfire" started burning in the afternoon of July 31 and spread in Riverside County's Cherry Valley, Banning, and San Bernardino National Forest. Currently, more than 2,000 firefighters are involved in extinguishing fires, and only 5% of wildfires are controlled. Almost 8,000 residents have been evacuated from about 2,500 houses in San Bernardino County. A spokesperson for the fire department said the evacuation centers were located in local hotels and schools. All evacuation centers will implement measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
CNN reported that the fire department is facing a variety of difficulties. Lisa Cox, the fire information officer of the San Bernardino National Forest, said that terrain is the biggest difficulty firefighters face. Cox said: "Our terrain is extremely steep and rugged. We have many different drainage systems, which intersect together to produce a funnel effect of different wind patterns, which makes the fire more unstable." She added that the area is very dense. Bushes are also one of the causes of wildfires. In addition, fire officials said low humidity and high temperature exacerbated the spread of the fire.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, officials of the California Fire Department stated that the "Apple Wildfire" was triggered by exhaust gas from a malfunctioning diesel car. "Multiple independent witnesses and physical evidence" proved this.
According to reports, as of the morning of the 3rd, only 5% of the fire insurance in the area has been controlled.
NBC quoted a California Fire Department spokesperson as saying that witnesses saw a car’s exhaust system spewing large amounts of diesel particles in a small community in Cherry Valley, Riverside County, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, on July 31. . Fire department spokesperson Fernando Herrera said that when they fall on dry vegetation, they can ignite any type of fuel. He said that investigators have not yet identified the vehicle or its driver, but diesel particles were found in the fire.
Climate experts say that large areas of California have just experienced one of the driest winters ever, and parts of the state may usher in a brutal wildfire season this year. The potential health effects of smog and the need to evacuate large numbers of people during the new crown pneumonia epidemic have worried public health experts. (Finish)