The second major wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains area of Southern California this summer was started just after 2 p.m. Wednesday and has injured three people and destroyed many structures.
The fire started near Highway 243 in Riverside County Wednesday afternoon burned 300 acres of land in just two hours. Strong winds contributed to the fire, leaving the fire zero percent contained by Wednesday evening.
LA Times reports that two firefighters and one civilian were injured in the fire, and the civilian was airlifted to a hospital.
The fire ended up blazing over 6,000 acres and caused the evacuation of over 1,500 residents of nearby towns.
According to Associated Press an estimated 15 structures have been ruined by the fire and residents of Poppet Flats, Twin Pines, Vista Grande, Mt. Edna, and Silent Valley have all been evacuated to two evacuation centers set up at neighboring high schools. Highway 243 was also closed.
Over 450 people came together to fight the fire, including 71 fire engines, five helicopters, four air tankers, and two bulldozers.