Evacuation ordered ahead of possible mud, debris flows in San Bernardino County
Updated at 8:01 a.m. PDT on July 3, 2014:
A wildfire that burned more than 5,000 acres in San Bernardino and Orange counties and a portion of San Diego, has been reined in, firefighters say. They hope their efforts will aid in cleaning up a major river in the county, the U.S. 101 River.
No evacuations are in place or expected in Orange County, San Bernardino County said. But evacuations in neighboring Riverside County have been ordered as the fire continues to rage in northern San Bernardino County.
The fire, which appears to have the same cause as last year’s Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California, erupted July 2, according to San Bernardino Fire Department spokeswoman Colleen O’Hare. There are no injuries reported.
In San Diego county, heavy smoke from the fire is blocking the area around the city of La Jolla.
San Francisco mayor Ed Lee ordered residents with smoke inhalation issues to remain indoors. Mayor Lee urged San Diegans to “limit the time outside, limit the exposure and take steps to prevent the spread and impact” of the wildfire.
Evacuations in La Jolla, north of San Diego, have been ordered and “residents are advised to evacuate the area,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, in a statement Monday.
Evacuations around San Diego are being ordered, with “no public gatherings or gatherings of more than 1 or 2 people,” the city said in a statement.
In addition, “the San Diego Unified School District has declared a state of emergency,” the city’s police chief, Bernard Parks said.
San Diego International Airport closed for “an unknown amount of time,” the spokesman said.
In addition to San Diego, firefighters and police say a debris flow caused by the blaze is threatening the town of Escondido in Orange County. No injuries have been reported.
While the fire has grown to more than 8,400 acres (3,300 hectares) so far, crews said the blaze has taken on a new life as it consumed the last of the underbrush, grass and trees.
About 90 percent of the blazes