Crews are racing to contain and extinguish a wildfire that broke out in Southern California on Tuesday, exploding in size in a matter of hours and forcing people to flee their homes.
According to CAL FIRE, the Ranch Fire broke out near Apple Valley in San Bernardino County just after 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
The blaze was initially reported to be about 80 acres but quickly grew.
In a matter of about four hours, the Ranch Fire had grown to 2,000 acres and then doubled in size to more than 4,200 acres by Tuesday night.
The Ranch Fire, as of Wednesday afternoon, is 10% contained and the cause is under investigation.
Evacuations have been ordered in the area, with people and their pets living in the area of Milpas Drive to High Road, south of Highway 18, told to flee for safety.
Evacuation centers have been set up for evacuated residents at the Sitting Bull Academy on Sitting Bull Road in Apple Valley, while the Victorville Fairgrounds in Victorville are being opened up to shelter large animals.
Fire rages months after Line Fire
This latest wildfire in San Bernardino County comes months after the destructive Line Fire scorched nearly 44,000 acres back in September 2024.
Tens of thousands of structures had been threatened by the Line Fire, while heroic efforts to contain and extinguish that blaze took weeks.
A two-hour time-lapse video showed flames from the Line Fire surrounding a camera, with the video surviving about an hour in the middle of the inferno until the camera feed cut out.
No deaths were reported, but at least six firefighters were injured while battling the fire.
Arson was determined as the cause of the fire, and on Sept. 10, a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze in Highland, California, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.
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