By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News
A wildfire that has destroyed homes and forced the evacuation of a camp for children with cancer spread further into Southern California on Wednesday, and there was no sign that firefighters were any closer to stopping it.
The fire, burning in the San Jacinto Mountains southwest of Palm Springs, grew to more than 14,000 acres, up from 9,000 on Tuesday night. Fire officials said it was only 10 percent contained, the same as the day before.
The wildfire has destroyed at least six homes, spread heavy smoke and forced the evacuation of Camp Ronald McDonald. Sarah Orth, the camp's executive director, told parents that campers and volunteers were instructed at dinner to pack up their belongings and were taken by bus to a nearby high school that serves as an evacuation center.
A fleet of buses then took them away from the blaze late Tuesday.
Evacuations were also in effect for about 50 homes in the area, as well as the Living Free Animal Sanctuary and the Zen Mountain Center.
Stuart Palley / EPA
A woman watches flames from the Mountain Fire move over a hill.
On Tuesday, more than 1,500 firefighters poured into the area, bringing the total force to more than 2,000, as the fire doubled in size. It was upgraded to a Type 1 response, the highest there is, and 15 helicopters and 10 air tankers were deployed.
The so-called Mountain Fire ignited Monday afternoon. The cause is under investigation, fire spokeswoman Melody Lardner said Wednesday.
Bob Poole, a spokesman for the National Forest Service, said that there was?no immediate direct threat to significantly populated areas.
Poole said six homes had been?destroyed in the Bonita Vista area, three of them mobile homes. Unspecified commercial property and a handful of other structures were destroyed in the Pine Springs area, he said.?
The flames were spreading through timber and chaparral, or shrubland, ?that are highly flammable because of the dry winter, officials said. Ninety-plus-degree daytime temperatures, humidity in the single digits and shifting winds have also presented fire crews with a challenging task.
Lardner said steep terrain was another challenge for firefighters.
NBC News' Henry Austin and Sossy Dombourian contributed to this report.
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This story was originally published on Tue Jul 16, 2013 5:53 PM EDT
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