STATE : 100 Flee Mt. Provo Wildfire
About 100 people were evacuated from 50 homes before dawn today during a wildfire that officials said may have been started by an arsonist.
The fire, which charred over 2,500 acres, forced residents in the Mt. Provo area, three miles southeast of Twain Harte, to evacuate, said Pat Kaunert of the California Department of Forestry.
The fire was 40% contained this morning.
“This fire is potentially a real dangerous one for us,” Kaunert said. “The fire is burning more intensely than it should because it is so dry. The drought has left the vegetation just crackling dry.”
Over 1,300 firefighters are battling the so-called Cotton Fire, which officials said is difficult to fight because of the steep and difficult terrain in the canyon.
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