Leo StallworthSome business owners near the fire were worried that even the slightest shift in the wind could send black smoke and embers slamming into their buildings.Firefighters spent Friday battling hot spots after a massive fire at a car recycling yard in Lancaster scorched an estimated 1,500 vehicles.As many as 1,500 cars and 10 acres on the 20-acre property were reported to have been scorched by flames as temperatures topped 100 degrees in the high desert.
Thevelius and one of his employees didn't evacuate and witnessed what looked like an inferno in the recycling yard. "It was a very intense hot fire with a lot of hydrocarbons, that's why the smoke was so dark and dense," said L.A. County Fire Battalion Chief Randy Perry.