Brush Fire in southern California
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2003 6:28 pm
Brush fire burning in Lake Elsinore
Firefighters work to protect homes from 350-acre blaze-The Associated Press
LAKE ELSINORE — Fire destroyed a church under construction and spread to nearby brush-covered hills today, threatening numerous homes in a Riverside County housing tract.
Firefighters stationed engines to protect the recently built homes as flames burned through scrub-covered hills. Residents were being asked to evacuate.
By midafternoon, the fire had burned 350 acres of brush and was 30 percent contained.
The fire was first reported in the half-completed Lamb’s Fellowship church, said Capt. Rick Vogt of the county fire and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The cause of the fire, which burned down the church, was under investigation.
About 250 firefighters tackled the fire, aided by four helicopters and three air tankers. Hand crews and bulldozers also worked to contain the fire.
The blaze in the inland region east of Los Angeles was the latest in a series of fires around Southern California this week as summer temperatures have soared.
The National Weather Service said high pressure aloft would keep southwestern California hot through the Fourth of July weekend, with warmest inland valleys reaching highs from the mid-90s to 105 degrees. Desert highs were expected to be well over 100.
Firefighters work to protect homes from 350-acre blaze-The Associated Press
LAKE ELSINORE — Fire destroyed a church under construction and spread to nearby brush-covered hills today, threatening numerous homes in a Riverside County housing tract.
Firefighters stationed engines to protect the recently built homes as flames burned through scrub-covered hills. Residents were being asked to evacuate.
By midafternoon, the fire had burned 350 acres of brush and was 30 percent contained.
The fire was first reported in the half-completed Lamb’s Fellowship church, said Capt. Rick Vogt of the county fire and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The cause of the fire, which burned down the church, was under investigation.
About 250 firefighters tackled the fire, aided by four helicopters and three air tankers. Hand crews and bulldozers also worked to contain the fire.
The blaze in the inland region east of Los Angeles was the latest in a series of fires around Southern California this week as summer temperatures have soared.
The National Weather Service said high pressure aloft would keep southwestern California hot through the Fourth of July weekend, with warmest inland valleys reaching highs from the mid-90s to 105 degrees. Desert highs were expected to be well over 100.
