Winds Damage Homes, Power Lines in Idyllwild

Fierce winds damaged more than a dozen homes in this mountain community, leaving three uninhabitable, and also left behind a trail of fallen trees and power poles, authorities said Friday.

Between 400 and 500 homes and businesses remained without power Friday as authorities cleaned up debris from hundreds of trees toppled by winds of 60 to 70 mph. Utility officials hoped to have power restored to most customers today.

Authorities blamed the damage in part on recent heavy rains that soaked the area about 100 miles east of Los Angeles and made the trees more likely to topple.

No major injuries were reported. A firefighter sustained a twisted ankle and a resident suffered scratches on his face and shoulders from falling branches, authorities said.

“The power went out first and then the trees starting coming down,” one resident, Angie Hill, told KCAL-TV.

The winds, which began about 8 a.m. Thursday and died down about two hours later, caused moderate to severe damage to 15 homes, said Idyllwild Fire Chief Steve Kunkle, who described the town as looking like a “war zone.”

“We were ravished by the wind,” he said. “There were power lines everywhere and trees falling. It’s not over yet because we have a lot of leaning trees.”

A few hours after the winds began, authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order.