10 Hurt in 2 Desert Fires; Officials Fear Bad Season

As tinder-dry Southern California heads into what officials fear may be an especially hazardous fire season, two blazes fanned by stiff winds scorched hundreds of acres in the desert Saturday.

A foothills fire in Apple Valley in San Bernardino County burned 215 acres, injuring 10 people, including eight firefighters and a Victorville television news cameraman. The fire also consumed four houses and three vehicles, causing about $145,000 in damage, but spared 60 homes nearby.

It took several hundred firefighters, two water-dropping tanker airplanes and a helicopter more than 18 hours to control the fire, which erupted at 6:40 p.m. Friday. The cameraman, John Turner of station KVVT, hurt his leg while helping firefighters pull hoses. All but one of the injured had been released from the hospital by noon Saturday, said San Bernardino County Fire Capt. Art Bishop.

“We’ve had hellacious winds and very dry conditions for several weeks now,” said County Fire Capt. Bruce Brown. Power lines downed by winds up to 45 m.p.h. are suspected of causing the fire.

Four of the injured, including a man who was slightly burned and three firefighters who suffered smoke inhalation, were taken to Sherman Oaks Community Hospital in Los Angeles, about 85 miles southwest of the fire. Two other firefighters also suffering smoke inhalation were released early Saturday after being treated at St. Mary Desert Valley Hospital.

Damaged were a barn, two mobile homes, some sheds and a garage, said Capt. Rick Milson of the Apple Valley Fire Protection District.

A larger fire near Quartz Hill in the Antelope Valley charred 500 to 600 acres of grass on flat land before it could be contained early Saturday. No injuries were reported.

Los Angeles County Firefighter Stan Pearson said the blaze was caused by sparks from a campfire that were blown by gusts of wind into dry grass, where it spread so rapidly that firefighters did not attempt to fight it directly.

Halted by Firebreaks

The fire, which was reported about 10:30 p.m. Friday in an area about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was contained at roads that served as firebreaks about two hours later, he said.

“It was pretty spectacular,” Pearson said.

The two fires followed warnings that drier-than-usual weather and a worsening dieback of wild brush have left vast areas of Southern California particularly vulnerable to fire this summer.

The dieback, a plant disease that kills brush, first appeared in the San Gabriel Mountains where it is still most serious. It has also been observed from the Mexican border to Santa Barbara and inland to Riverside by scientists using satellites and high-altitude photography. It is believed to be caused by a combination of factors, ranging from heavy rains in 1982 and 1983 followed by years of drought to pollution and a fungus that attacks brush roots.

Officials Concerned

“We have the potential of the worst fire season ever,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief John W. Englund has said.

To meet the threat, Los Angeles County fire officials are conducting a major brush-clearing operation in the Baldwin Hills area, where an arsonist set a fire two years ago that destroyed 48 homes, damaged 18 others and left three people dead. They are urging homeowners in other brushy areas to clear away brush on their own and be on the alert for arsonists.

In Orange County, fire officials are warning people who enter fire hazard areas closed to the public that they will be prosecuted and could face a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail.