Forrest Fire - USA

GLIDE CODE: WF-20060712-6761-USA
Date & Time: 2006.07.12 - 19:11:19
Area: USA California, Yucca Valley, ( MAP)

Description:

A wildfire continued burning in Yucca Valley this morning, with no indication when the blaze would be contained. The fire, which has consumed more than 27,000 acres, has burned for four days and destroyed more than 30 homes and outbuildings in and around Pioneertown, the Old West outpost and former movie set outside Joshua Tree National Park in San Bernardino County, fire officials said. More than eight injuries to firefighters and residents have been reported. More than 2,500 firefighters were battling the blaze. Fed by winds as fierce as 40 mph, the fire has been renamed the Sawtooth Complex fire. It was caused by a lightning strike about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. More than 1,000 people have evacuated. An aid center was established at Yucca Valley High School. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Pioneertown, Pipes Canyon, Burns Canyon, Flamingo Heights, Rimrock and Gamma Gulch, where residents scrambled to protect homes and businesses and drive horses to safety. Morongo Va! lley was also being threatened, but no evacuations had been ordered, said Annette Avila, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Some of the structures surrounding Pioneertown seem to have been damaged, according to television footage, but the heart of the Old West film site appeared to be safe. Pioneertown, about 120 miles east of Los Angeles, was built in 1946 as a permanent set for Western movies.

Damage level: Heavy