Brush fires erupt amid dangerous Southern California heat wave
LOS ANGELES - A dangerous heat wave descended on Southern California on Friday, shattering temperature records and sparking a brush fire that swept into neighborhoods east of San Diego, destroying numerous homes.
The heat wave, coupled with moderate winds, helped fan nearly a dozen fires across the region, the most serious of which was burning along Interstate 8 near Alpine. By evening, the West fire had hopscotched through hillside communities, torching homes and other structures as firefighters struggled to prevent the 400-acre fire, which was 5 percent contained, from spreading further.
Hundreds of residents fled the West Willows community, with some saying they didn't know whether their homes were still standing.
A fast-moving fire in the San Bernardino National Forest on Friday afternoon prompted authorities to call for the mandatory evacuation of the town of Forest
