What began as a small brush fire along a freeway in drought-stricken Southern California morphed into a massive blaze fueled by gusty winds and dry vegetation. Swift-moving flames gutted a historic Route 66 diner, burned homes to their foundations and forced tens of thousands of people to flee the Cajon Pass, a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. A snapshot of the fire and its impacts:EXPLOSIVE GROWTHWildfires have ripped through California in the past, but recent fires have grown stronger and hotter. When they reached their home in Phelan, the 28-year-old Martinez said a dark, thick cloud of smoke hung above them. The Cajon Pass, which divides the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, was created by the movement of the San Andreas fault and erosion and has long been a significant natural pathway through Southern California.

Source: ABC News August 17, 2016 21:11 UTC