Clinton official set to tour fire-ravaged California

August 31, 1999
Web posted at: 4:27 p.m. EDT (2027 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman gets a firsthand look at the damage when he tours the brush fire- ravaged Apple Valley 75 miles east of Los Angeles on Tuesday in response to state pleas for disaster relief.

Southern California has been plagued by brush fires for the past week, fueled by a seasonal heat wave and drier than normal conditions. The worst fire has been one near Lake Arrowhead in the Apple Valley that has scorched nearly 50,000 acres of brush and pine forest.

Joanne Evans, of the California Department of Forestry, said the area was primed for fires by two weather phenomena. El Nino brought heavy rains that spawned "lots of brush growth." That was followed by La Nina, which left fields and wooded areas chock full of dry bush that "burns quickly."

Evans said because of shifting population trends, what used to be wilderness area is now an occupied area. "And, people cause fires."

Following weekend evacuations of residents, hikers, campers and vacationers, two more youth camps were evacuated Monday afternoon as a precaution after 30 structures were burned, including at least one home.

At least 700 firefighters at the scene were hampered by erratic winds, steep terrain, and limited resources. An illegal campfire was blamed as the source of a blaze that erupted Saturday afternoon.

Campgrounds and a trailer park were evacuated during the weekend near Lake Hemet, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, because of a fire that has burned more than 2,500 acres in the area. Firefighters are hampered by strong winds, dry brush, and inaccessible terrain in their struggle to gain control of that fire.

Another fire, burning near Palmdale in northern Los Angeles County, consumed more than 3,000 acres before it was fully contained Monday night. The fire forced the evacuation of a nearby ranch holding 40 horses. The horses were safely relocated. One home was partially damaged, and three outbuildings burned. No injuries were reported.

Extreme heat and rugged terrain are hampering firefighting efforts in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa, where 2,500 acres have burned. Three recreational cabins burned in the blaze, which was 15-percent contained as of Tuesday morning. More than 750 firefighters are battling the blaze, and additional resources have been brought in to assist the effort. Over the weekend, 4,000 campers, hikers, and recreational cabin owners were evacuated.

A fire near Banning, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, burned more than 1,500 acres and destroyed an abandoned house, a sailboat, several cars and six "shed-type" outbuildings, officials said. No injuries were reported. California Department of Forestry officials said the cause of the fire is "suspicious" and under investigation.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.