iStock/Thinkstock(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) — A wildfire that started just after noon in Southern California on Sunday had already consumed 1,500 acres by nightfall, according to San Bernardino National Forest officials.
Known as the Pilot fire, the blaze ripped through dry timber and brush in a mountainous area about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, consuming more than two square miles of forest in just over eight hours, with zero percent containment as of the most recent update by firefighters.
#PilotFire – Fire is now 1,500 acres with 0% containment. Air Quality alerts issued for High Desert pic.twitter.com/I8ZtRECTko
— San Bernardino NF (@SanBernardinoNF) August 8, 2016
Crews worked through the night and into Monday morning to beat back the fast-moving inferno. Officials have deployed 400 firefighters, 36 engines, five bulldozers, eight helicopters and eight air tankers to help bring the situation under control.
Darkness falls on the #PilotFire but the work continues around the clock. pic.twitter.com/b29Tem1Gmz
— San Bernardino NF (@SanBernardinoNF) August 8, 2016
The fire caused the closure of several highways crossing the area, while mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of nearby Summit Valley.
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