California firefighters battle mountain highway blaze

Firefighters are battling a fast-moving blaze that swept across a freeway in a southern California mountain pass, destroying 20 vehicles and sending motorists running to safety before burning four buildings.

Fanned by hot desert winds, the wildfire started in the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15 - the main highway between southern California and Las Vegas - and quickly spread across 3,500 acres.

Hundreds of firefighters, aided by water-dropping aircraft, have contained 5 per cent of the blaze.

Strong winds spread the fire to the rural community of Baldy Mesa, where it burned at least five homes and threatened about 50 more.

California is in the midst of severe drought, and wildfires are common.

While some can break out near freeways, but it is very unusual to have vehicles caught in the flames.

The fire led authorities to shut several freeway lanes, causing traffic to back up for miles.

Dozens of vehicles were abandoned and hundreds of others diverted on to side roads to escape from the flames, as water-dropping helicopters flew over the Cajon Pass area about 55km northeast of Los Angeles.

California highway patrol spokesman Steve Carapia said between 50 to 75 vehicles were left abandoned.

Witness accounts

Motorists stuck on the road described a harrowing scene.

“It’s crazy, you’re watching black clouds and white clouds of smoke, there’s a ridgeline off to my right . . . and it looks like any second flames will come over the ridgeline,” one motorist said.

US forest service spokesman Uriah Hernandez said no injuries had been confirmed.

The agency said the fire had burned at least 3, 500 acres and was threatening the rural community of Baldy Mesa.

San Bernardino County fire service said at least five homes were burned and another 50 were threatened by the flames.

An additional 10 cars on the freeway were damaged by the fire.

One witness said she could see the flames from her petrol station in Baldy Mesa.

“People are spectating from our parking lot, running around getting water and beer. It’s chaos,” she said.

“One man came in and said, ‘Oh my, my house is getting burned’.”

Raquel Martinez (34) was travelling to Las Vegas with her husband for the weekend when they got stuck in northbound traffic on the highwayfor about an hour.

She said that the sky darkened to black. As they drove by, she saw cars covered in “pink powder” - fire retardant.

She said that cars were being redirected up narrow emergency lanes from the southbound side headed north.

PA