Bluecut Fire Burns 25,000 Acres, Forces 82,000 to Evacuate in California

A wildfire continued raging through rural communities Wednesday in Southern California, triggering a state of emergency and evacuation orders for more than 82,000 residents in the San Bernardino area. More than 1,500 firefighters and other emergency workers were battling the Bluecut fire, which flared early Tuesday about 60 miles east of Los Angeles and spread rapidly along the Cajon Pass. By Wednesday evening, it had burned 25,600 acres, with firefighters able to contain only 4 percent of it, officials said. "It hit hard. It hit fast, with an intensity that we've never seen before," San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mart Hartwig told reporters.