Between one and two thousand firefighters on the ground and more than 40 aircraft -- helicopters and planes -- greeted the relentless Esperanza wildfire in the San Jacinto Mountains just west of Palm Springs on Friday morning, NBC4 reported.
Video: Friday Report, 6 a.m.
Santa Ana winds refused to die down overnight, fanning a fire that began at 1 a.m. Thursday to more than 24,000 acres -- 38 square miles -- by late Thursday night. It was just 5 percent contained.
Four dead, hundreds flee California wildfire (click on)
By Jill SerjeantLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A brush fire blamed on arsonists swept through the desert hills near Palm Springs on Thursday, killing four fire-fighters, sending residents fleeing and trapping hundreds more in a rural park for recreational vehicles.
Whipped by warm winds after a long, dry summer, the fire roared out of control through about 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) in less than 24 hours, destroying at least 10 homes and engulfing a firetruck, fire officials said.
By nightfall, the fire line stretched 15 miles (24 km) along canyons and rugged hills 90 miles (145 km) east of Los Angeles and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Palm Springs.
But Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Hawkins said the more than 1,000 fire-fighters were finally making progress. "We are doing better with it. We are saying 5 per cent containment. That might not sound like a lot but it really, truly is," Hawkins said.
