Inland Empire brush fire grows to more than 20,000 acres, threatens thousands of homes

11. THE LINE FIRE IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY IS GROWING AGAIN TONIGHT. NOW UP TO 20,000 ACRES. THAT'S MORE THAN 30MI■S BURNED. I'M JORY RAND MICHELLE FISHER. >> NEW TONIGHT, PEOPLE IN TWO MORE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES. AS THESE FLAMES RACE IN THE FIRE, SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN, AND REMAINS AT ZERO CONTAINMENT AS THE EXTREME HEAT CONTINUES ALL ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. AND TONIGHT, MORE THAN 36,000 HOMES ARE BEING THREATENED BY THOSE FLAMES. >> WE HAVE A MAP THAT SHOWS THE EVACUATION ZONES TONIGHT. THE COMMUNITIES OF MOUNTAIN HOME VILLAGE AND FOREST FALLS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE LIST, WHICH ALREADY INCLUDED ALL OF RUNNING SPRINGS AND ARROWBEAR LAKE AND PARTS OF HIGHLAND AND MENTONE. EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER TIM CAPUTO BEGINS OUR TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT LIVE FROM MENTONE, WITH ONCE AGAIN AN ORANGE, EERIE GLOW IN THE BACKGROUND. TIM >> YOU COULD CERTAINLY SEE IT HERE BEHIND ME. WE'RE ACTUALLY ON STATE ROAD 38 AT THE MOMENT, WHICH IS CLOSED EASTBOUND BECAUSE THOSE TWO TOWNS YOU JUST MENTIONED ARE OFF IN THE DISTANCE HERE. AND EVERYONE FROM THOSE TOWNS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED. SO ESSENTIALLY NO REASON TO GO IN THERE UNLESS YOU'RE A FIRE CREW. YOU MENTIONED THAT GLOW BEHIND ME THAT HAS BEEN KIND OF GROWING OVER THE LAST COUPLE HOURS HERE TONIGHT. AND WE'RE ACTUALLY STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THOSE FIRES, SOME OF THOSE FLAME PEAK OVER THAT HILL. EDGES OF THE LINE, FIRE CREEPING OVER A RIDGE NOT FAR FROM THE SMALL TOWN OF MOUNTAIN HOME VILLAGE, WHERE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF ABOUT 150 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED THIS EVENING. >> JUST TRYING TO STAY MINDFUL OF THINGS GOING ON, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE I'M TAKING CARE OF AND SAFE AND PEOPLE AROUND ARE SAFE. AND NOT TO PANIC, AND THEN WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO, IT'S TIME TO GO. >> SOME PACKED UP IMMEDIATELY NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES WITH THIS FIRE THAT NEARLY TRIPLED IN SIZE FROM SATURDAY WITH 0% CONTAINMENT. >> I'M TERRIFIED. I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS BEFORE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND I CAN WHEN YOU CAN. WHEN IT'S ORANGE LIKE IT HAS BEEN. I'VE BEEN SO SCARED BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S FIRE THAT I'M SEEING OR IF IT'S JUST THE SMOKE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU DON'T KNOW HOW FAST IT'S GOING TO GET HERE. THE LION FIRE OUTSIDE OF HIGHLAND IS NOW MORE THAN 20,000 ACRES. >> AND WITH THESE FAST SPREADING FLAMES, MANDATORY EVACUATIONS HAVE ALSO EXPANDED. ALL DAY TODAY FOR NEIGHBORHOODS ALL ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST IN MENTONE. IT WAS ABOUT QUICKLY GATHERING THOSE IRREPLACEABLE ITEMS. I GOT MY TRUCK WITH, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME IMPORTANT THINGS. >> OTHER THAN THAT, TOOK MY MOTORCYCLE OUT HERE. THAT WAS IMPORTANT. >> SUNDAY'S WILD WEATHER, EVEN WITH A LITTLE RAIN NOT HELPING THE CAUSE. AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT WIND AND LIGHTNING ON TOP OF THIS SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING HEAT WAVE. FRUSTRATING FOR THE 1800 PLUS FIRE CREWS TRYING TO SECURE CONTROL LINES AND AN OMINOUS FEEL FOR EVERYONE ELSE. >> IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE WORLD'S ENDING. IT LOOKS LIKE THAT. IT SMELLS LIKE THAT. >> TEMPERATURE. FAIRLY COMFORTABLE OUT HERE THIS EVENING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER HOT ONE TOMORROW FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, INCLUDING THESE EVACUATIONS AND THE LOW AIR QUALITY. A NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THIS IMMEDIATE AREA ARE CANCELING SCHOOL FOR TOMORROW. THAT INCLUDES BEAR VALLEY AND THE REDLANDS SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE'RE LIVE TONIGHT IN MENTONE. TIM CAPUTO, ABC SEVEN EYEWITNESS NEWS. >> OKAY, TIM, THANK YOU FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS NOW, THE TOWN OF RUNNING SPRINGS HAS BEEN EVACUATED. THE LINE FIRE IS YET TO REACH THE TOWN, BUT THAT SMALL VILLAGE SITS RIGHT IN ITS PATH. >> EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER SOPHIE FLAY CONTINUES OUR TEAM COVERAGE FROM RUNNING SPRINGS. FOLKS HAVE BEEN STOPPING ALONG HIGHWAY 18 ALL DAY AND NIGHT TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT THE LINE FIRE. AS THOUSANDS ARE UNDER EVACUATION ORDERS TONIGHT. THE LINE FIRE BURNING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO MULTIPLE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES. EVACUATION WARNINGS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS LAKE ARROWHEAD, GREEN VALLEY LAKE AND CRESTLINE, ACCORDING TO CAL FIRE. MORE THAN 36,000 STRUCTURES ARE THREATENED, AND MANY OF THOSE ARE HOMES. >> AND I WENT TO RUNNING SPRINGS YESTERDAY TO CHECK ON SOME HOMES FOR FRIENDS AND IT'S BEEN. THE AIR QUALITY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA AND CHILDREN. >> A HUGE CROWD OF FOLKS SEEN STOPPING ALONG HIGHWAY 18 ACROSS FROM RIM OF THE WORLD HIGH SCHOOL, TRYING TO SEE HOW CLOSE THE FIRE IS GETTING TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. >> AS SOON AS WE GOT THE WARNING, WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, I THINK WE GOT TO START PACKING SOME STUFF UP, AT LEAST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS, GETTING THEM BY THE DOOR AND JUST GETTING READY TO. BECAUSE IF WE GET THE ORDERS, WHEN WE GOT TO GO. >> AND JUST UP THE STREET. THE ROAD IS CLOSED AT HIGHWAY 18 AND COUPAL CANYON ROAD. YESTERDAY, THUNDERSTORMS WERE PUSHING THE BLAZE IN UNPREDICTABLE DIRECTIONS, THE RAIN CAUSING A TRAFFIC JAM AS PEOPLE TRIED TO GET IN AND OUT. >> MY CAR WAS COVERED IN ASH, COMPLETE COVERED. AND, YOU HAVE TO KEEP ALL YOUR WINDOWS CLOSED. >> MORE THAN 600 FIRE PERSONNEL HAVE BATTLED THIS FIRE SINCE THURSDAY, AND DESPITE EVACUATION ORDERS AND RUNNING SPRINGS, THOSE AT VILLAGE MARKET HAVE STAYED OPEN. >> WE NEED TO STAY OPEN FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. WE NEED TO STAY OPEN FOR THE RESIDENTS WHO DID NOT EVACUATE. THERE ARE A FEW OF THEM, SOMEONE'S GOT TO BE HERE FOR THEM. >> I LOVE MY FIREFIGHTERS. I LOVE MY FIRST RESPONDERS. THEY HAVE WORKED THEIR SOULS TO KEEP US SAFE. AND I FEEL WE ARE SAFE. >> TONIGHT AT REDLANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, AS WELL AS BEAR VALLEY, HAVE CANCELED SCHOOL TOMORROW DUE TO THE