The Cherry Valley wildfire, a residential area east of Los Angeles, which has already burned more than 11,000 hectares, was man-made, local authorities in California (USA) confirmed on Wednesday.
This was confirmed by the San Bernardino National Forest Unit in its latest update on the evolution of the fire, which has been contained in 30% of its extent and it is estimated that it will not be fully suffocated until next August 17.
Specifically, the malfunction of the exhaust pipe of a diesel vehicle was the origin of this fire, known in the USA as the “Apple Fire”, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE, in English).
In a statement, the authorities that protect the affected forests in that area explained that the activity of the fire “has intensified” in the last hours in the eastern and western parts of the fire, although they expect the decrease in temperatures predicted throughout of the day this Wednesday help firefighters to better contain the flames.
So far, 7,800 people have been evicted from their homes in Cherry Valley, a community located in Riverside County, a number that has not grown in the past few hours.
Residents of the Oak Glen and Potato Canyon areas in neighboring San Bernardino County were also asked to vacate their homes as a precaution.
So far no injuries or victims have been reported, although the fire has consumed at least one single-family house and two units, according to the fire department.
The evacuated neighbors are being temporarily housed in local hotels and in the facilities of a local secondary school, maintaining the necessary protocols by COVID-19 such as temperature control upon arrival, safety distances and the use of masks.
What has increased is the number of troops displaced to fight the fire, since more than 2,500 firefighters are working on the scene to put out the flames.
The National Weather Service has released images taken by its satellites showing that the smoke generated by the fire reaches as far as Phoenix, Arizona, nearly 500 kilometers away.
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