California fire that jumped Interstate 15 calms overnight
Jul 18, 2015, 8:29 AM | Updated: 8:30 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wildfire that swept across a busy California freeway, sending people running for their lives, has calmed down as some crews shifted focus to another blaze that forced hundreds of campers to evacuate.
Higher humidity and lower temperatures helped pacify the fire that burned over Interstate 15 in a mountainous area 55 miles northeast of Los Angeles on Friday. The 5.5-square-mile fire destroyed 20 vehicles on the freeway before burning three homes and 44 more vehicles in the community of Baldy Mesa.
U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill says crews will focus Saturday on protecting some 700 homes in the area. About 2,800 people were evacuated.
Most of Interstate 15 reopened Saturday.
Another fire 20 miles away forced hundreds of campers to flee and is threatening the community of Wrightwood.
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