Smoke from a wildfire can bee seen today in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – A wildfire that forced the evacuation of at least 1,100 homes grew to 800 acres on Wednesday, fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds that pushed it through foothills east of Los Angeles.
Although no homes were in immediate danger, the homes were under mandatory evacuation and at least seven homes were closed because of smoke from the blaze at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains.
Leo Lemelin, 67, and his family busily loaded several cars with belongings as they prepared to leave.
“We’re trying to pack up everything we can into our cars from 45 years of marriage and eight grandchildren,” he told the Riverside Press-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/1ftmqok ).
More than 500 firefighters battled the flames just above residential developments in Rancho Cucamonga, a city of 165,000 people.