Rain calms California fire that jumped freeway, burned cars

A hand crew member starts a backfire along Baldy Mesa Road late Friday, July 17, 2015, as the North Fire continues to burn near Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, Calif. Firefighters will focus Saturday on protecting some 700 homes in the Baldy Mesa area, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill said. About 2,800 people remained evacuated, with nearly three dozen spending the night at a temporary shelter. (AP Photo/Kevin Warn) A hand crew member starts a backfire along Baldy Mesa Road late Friday, July 17, 2015, as the North Fire continues to burn near Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, Calif. Firefighters will focus Saturday on protecting some 700 homes in the Baldy Mesa area, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill said. About 2,800 people remained evacuated, with nearly three dozen spending the night at a temporary shelter. (AP Photo/Kevin Warn)

By Associated Press July 19, 2015 2 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A rare summer storm helped firefighters advance on a wildfire that swept across a California interstate, torching vehicles and sending people running for their lives before burning property in a desert town.

Light rain and moist air dampened the blaze on Saturday in the mountainous Cajon Pass 55 miles northeast of Los Angeles, the main route connecting Southern California and Las Vegas.

“The weather really helped,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Travis Mason said.

The fire was sparked Friday afternoon below the elevated lanes of Interstate 15. Pushed by 40 mph winds, it raced up a hill and onto the traffic-clogged freeway, trapping hundreds of people amid a cauldron of smoke, flames and ash.

Drivers and their passengers abandoned their cars as flames hopscotched down the freeway, destroying 20 vehicles, several of which exploded in fireballs.