Terrified California motorists flee wildfire as blaze destroys 20 vehicles
Motorists tell of hearing explosions while hiding in a truck as the fire struck the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas
A fast-moving wildfire swept across a Southern California freeway in a mountain pass, destroying 20 vehicles and sending motorists running to safety before burning at least four structures. Two people suffered minor injuries, authorities said on Friday.
The fire started in the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15 – the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas – and quickly chewed through bone-dry brush. As flames closed in, drivers and passengers ran from their vehicles.
Lance Andrade, a 29-year-old railroad conductor from Apple Valley, was stopped in traffic when the fire jumped the freeway and panicked people started running towards him. He also ran, but with flames all around, there was nowhere to go.
A firefighter told everyone to take cover. Andrade, four other men, and two elderly women got inside the back of a semi-truck. One of the women had been separated from her family began crying, and everyone was terrified.
“You could hear the explosions from people’s vehicle tires popping from the heat,” Andrade said. “You could hear crackling, smoke was coming in every direction. You could feel the heat. We just waited it out and prayed to God.”
