As evacuation orders were lifted, relieved homeowners expressed their heartfelt gratitude to firefighters Wednesday as they assessed the charred hillsides revealing just how close flames from the 14,334-acre Blue Ridge Fire came to their Chino Hills homes.
The fire, fanned by shifting winds, blackened hillsides in the neighborhood, but firefighters and adequate defensible space around properties helped save homes.
"All of the sudden it was like, zoom," said Marybeth Lozano, a Chino Hills resident. “The flames were huge. It was right above our house.” Chino Hills resident Ron Sun looked out his back window Tuesday night to see a hillside glowing orange. Once the sun came up, daylight revealed that the burn scar ends just a few feet from his home