Deadly Southern California wildfire triples in size in around 24 hours

A deadly wildfire in Southern California that killed two people and injured a third has at least tripled in size in around 24 hours, exploding from about 5,000 acres (20.23 square km) to over 18,600 acres (75.27 square km) as of Thursday morning, authorities said, reported Xinhua.

The fast-moving Fairview Fire started Monday afternoon near the city of Hemet in Riverside County amid a brutal heat wave. It was only 5 percent contained so far, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The blaze has forced a string of evacuation orders and road closures in the area. Around 2,500 structures are still under threat as over 1,100 firefighters, with aircraft support, are continuing their efforts against the wildfire.

Officials said that at least seven structures have been destroyed and several more have been damaged by the blaze. The two victims of the fire have not been identified, but Riverside County fire officials believe they were trying to escape the flames in a canyon. Their bodies were found in a burned car, and authorities believe they were related, reported KABC-TV, the West Coast flagship station of the ABC network.

"That area is a one way in, one way out. So if you don't leave in time, or if you get trapped by fire, there's no other way to go," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection captain Richard Cordova was quoted as saying by the news outlet.

Another television station, NBC Los Angeles, quoted a family source as saying that the two were a father and daughter.

Due to the blaze, the Hemet Unified School District announced that all schools in the school district will remain closed through the rest of the week.