Wildfire overruns packed California freeway, burns cars

A fast-moving brush fire in the Southern California foothills overran a packed freeway in a mountain pass on Friday, destroying four structures and torching 20 vehicles as drivers abandoned their cars and scrambled to safety. The wildfire, which broke out Friday afternoon in the drought-parched foothills of San Bernardino County, had grown from 500 acres (200 hectares) to 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) in a matter of hours, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The blaze ripped down a portion of the Interstate 15 freeway that links Southern California and Las Vegas, forcing about 60 drivers to flee their cars on Cajon Pass.

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