102 mph winds recorded near Magic Mountain Truck Trail amid red flag warnings

Near the mid-county landfill in Fontana, the winds were causing quite a mess, spreading debris across the facility.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- As gusting Santa Ana winds pounded parts of Southern California Wednesday, a red flag warning remains in effect in some areas.

The wind gusts were so powerful, at one point, they were recorded reaching 102 mph near the Magic Mountain Truck Trail.
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Near the mid-county landfill in Fontana, the winds were causing quite a mess, spreading debris across the facility. The same thing happened on the freeways just below the Cajon Pass.

Video captured several big rigs getting blown over by strong wind gusts.

Several traffic accidents occurred near the intersection of the 210 and 15 Freeways, an area typically known to be a trouble spot.

"I've seen a truck tipped over about a mile back, so I figured best to pull off and wait it out," said Ernie Perez, a truck driver who spoke with Eyewitness News on Wednesday.



There were no public safety power shutoffs were scheduled Wednesday, despite the red flag warning.

Those who work outside, the winds were more of a nuisance than anything else with all the dirt and dust in the air.
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Although overnight, there was a real scare for San Bernardino County firefighters.

Strong gusts quickly spread flames from a small brush fire in Fontana that swept through a pallet yard near the 10 Freeway and Citrus.

It destroyed one home and damaged another structure.

"The Santa Ana winds are just a funnel coming through here," said Eric Sherwin with the San Bernardino County Fire Department. "Even though we had the wetting rains last week, as you saw last night with this fire, fuels still want to burn, on a 40 to 50 mile an hour wind, if there's fire, it's going to take off."

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