A deadly wildfire in the mountains near Palm springs, California burned out of control for a second day on Friday, forcing more residents to flee their homes to escape a 24-kilometer line of flames. The fire, blamed on arsonists, has moved through 24,000 acres, killing four firefighters and leaving another critically injured. Firefighters woke several hundred residents overnight and told them to leave as the fire neared their homes, fire officials said. The residents joined another 700 who left their houses hurriedly on Thursday. Another 400 to 1,000 people spend a nervous night trapped in a recreational vehicle park in the San Jacinto mountains because firefighters were unable to get them out. More than 1,000 firefighters worked through the night in the fire zone 145 kilometers east of Los Angeles and 27 kilometers northwest of Palm Springs. Weather forecasters predicted another day of hot winds throughout southern California, making controlling of the wildfire more difficult. Riverside County fire officials said the fire near Palm Springs was deliberately set and a $100,000 reward has been offered for information about the perpetrators. They gave no details about why they consider it an arson fire.
