At least 200 homes evacuated as wildfire tears through brush east of L.A.
BANNING, Calif. -- Fire officials say a wildfire tearing through brush east of Los Angeles has forced 700 people from their homes and destroyed a small building.
The Riverside County Fire Department says the fast-moving fire has prompted the evacuation of at least 200 homes as it raced through a square mile of drought-dry hills near Banning.
One firefighter was treated for a non-life threatening injury.
The fire likely was human-caused, authorities said Tuesday evening, CBS Los Angeles reported.
The blaze erupted shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the unincorporated Cherry Valley area and has thrown up a line of 25-foot-high flames. Winds gusting to about 20 mph and tinder-dry fuel are helping propel the blaze, which is 5 percent contained.
A mobile home park and scattered homes on large properties have been evacuated.
More than 300 firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft are battling the flames.