A wildfire northwest of Palm Springs flared up Saturday, with evacuation orders for thousands of people as firefighters fought the blaze in triple-degree heat. | Above: In this long exposure photograph, firefighters monitor flames as they skirt a hillside near a residential area during the Apple fire in Banning, California.
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An unspecified number of homes were in the path of the flames but were not in imminent danger, CalFire captain Fernando Herrera told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
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The blaze, which began as two adjacent fires, was reported shortly before 5 p.m. Friday in Cherry Valley, an unincorporated area near the city of Beaumont in Riverside County.
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Flames leapt along brushy ridge tops and came close to homes while some 375 firefighters attacked it from the ground and air, authorities said. | Above: The 747 Supertanker makes a retardant drop on a ridge as firefighters continue to battle the Apple fire near Banning.
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The blaze, dubbed the Apple Fire, doubled in size overnight and is over 18 square miles. | Above: The Apple fire consumes a tree at the Oak Canyon Conservation Camp near Beaumont.
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About 7,800 people have been told to evacuate over 2,500 homes, according to fire officials.
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Hundreds of people in foothill neighbourhoods north of Beaumont fell under mandatory evacuation orders.
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One home has been destroyed. Herrera said firefighters were having difficulty assessing the damage because the charred ground was too hot to walk on.
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The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning as Southern California found itself in the midst of a heat wave.
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The mercury hit 105 degrees (41 Celsius) in Palm Springs by Saturday afternoon.
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The weather service said "dangerously hot conditions" were expected to continue into evening because of high pressure over the region.
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A firefighter stands next to a fire truck as flames flare at the Apple Fire in Cherry Valley.
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Firefighters are enveloped in smoke from the Apple fire as they battle the blaze at the Oak Canyon Conservation Camp near Beaumont.
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Pasadena Fire Department firefighters perform structure protection as flames sparkle on a hillside behind a home during the Apple fire in Banning.
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Firefighters are seen through heat from flames as they battle the Apple fire near Banning.
Image Credit: AFP
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