A bush fire fires near Rialto houses

RIALTO, California (KABC) –

A brush fire erupted dangerously near homes in the Rialto area of ​​San Bernardino County, causing the spontaneous evacuation of residents in distress in front of the flames.

The fire, dubbed the Sierra Fire, was reported shortly after 21 hours. near Sierra and Riverside avenues, according to firefighters in San Bernardino County.

The flames burned medium to heavy fuel with a rapid rate of spread, said fire officials. In a few minutes, the growing hell went from about 3 acres to about 20 acres.

Several firefighters and a bulldozer immediately responded to the fire, while strong gusts of wind seemed to keep most flames away from neighboring homes.

Despite the direction of the fire, the embers of the fire took Riverside Avenue, where yards and at least one palm tree caught fire in the Ferguson Park neighborhood.

Firefighters worked against the 50 km / h winds to spray water on the burning palm tree, whose glowing embers jumped over several houses and caused a great deal of concern.

A number of power lines also seemed to catch fire, as the wind-driven flames continued to move rapidly around the neighborhood. Lights were also extinguished in parts of the region.

No structure was seen on fire.

In the meantime, images of AIR7 HD showed residents packing their vehicles, although no official evacuation order was announced. Traffic also developed along Locust Avenue when the owners attempted to escape.

Shortly after 11 pm, the Sierra Fire seemed to lose strength as it moved south and moved away from the houses.

According to the San Bernardino County Fire Department, a total of 26 engines, seven crews, three bulldozers and a sheriff patrol helicopter were assigned to the fire.