LOS ANGELES (AP) — Unexpected winds feeding the beast sent a Southern California wildfire surging back to life, sending thousands fleeing the flames which have destroyed 18 homes.
One person has been found dead in the fire zone.
County fire chief Daryl Osby says Sunday afternoon it’s the most extreme fire behavior he’s seen so early in the fire season in his three-decade career.
The blaze has forced the closure of a 40-mile stretch of State Route 14, known as the Antelope Valley Freeway.
Planes have been unable to make drops over the fire, but helicopters are releasing retardant around the perimeter of the blaze.
It is 10 percent contained, and thousands of homes are under threat.
Another wildfire about 300 miles up the coast has destroyed six homes.
