Over 82,000 evacuate as Blue Cut fire rapidly spreads in southern California

A rapidly spreading wildfire in southern California's Cajon Pass has grown in hot, dry weather, threatening at least 34,000 structures and forcing the hasty evacuation of more than 80,000 people.

Since first reported on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. PDT, the Blue Cut fire has already engulfed 30,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, and it was expected to continue to spread.

This out-of-control blaze follows a series of other devastating wildfires in California -- most recently one in Lake County, Northern California -- as a result of extremely low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds.

“We are not even in the hot part of fire season yet,” San Bernardino County Fire Department Batallion Chief Michael Wakoski said at a recent press conference.  “This is October-like fire behavior conditions we're having right now, and we’re only in August, so we are in for a fight.”

California is suffering through its worst drought on record, which has dried out soils and vegetation and led to widespread tree deaths, which may make trees more susceptible to fire.

Red flag fire weather conditions are forecast to continue through 9 p.m. PDT Thursday, which means conditions will remain conducive to additional spreading of this blaze.

Late Tuesday, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County.

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As of Wednesday morning, the Incident Information System (InciWeb) reported that while an unknown amount of structures have been damaged or destroyed, 1,309 personnel were on scene, along with 152 engines, and numerous firefighting aircraft.

"There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Oak Hills, and surrounding areas," InciWeb stated.

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"This moved so fast," said Darren Dalton, 51, who evacuated from his home in Wrightwood. "It went from 'have you heard there's a fire?' to 'mandatory evacuation' before you could take it all in."

As the video below shows, as of Wednesday morning the fire still appears to be blazing in the distance, and destruction is serious.

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“You add the wind, the fuel and the lay of the land and they all line up for a disaster,” Wakoski said. “The brush is like stick. They just break off when you walk through them. It’s a disaster that has been waiting to happen all year, waiting for a spark.”

Additional reporting by the Associated Press