A wildfire is raging out of control in San Bernardino County, Calif., having exploded to 30,000 acres in size since igniting just over 24 hours ago. More than 80,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as the fire continues to spread, with firefighters making zero progress in containment. A state of emergency has been declared.

According to InciWeb's most recent update on the "Bluecut Fire," issued at 10:30 a.m. EST, the wildfire started on the morning of Tuesday Aug. 16 in the Cajon Pass near Kenwood Avenue, west of Interstate 15. It is estimated to have burned through almost 47 square miles of land in just one day, fueled by heavy brush in the affected area.

Fire officials have issued the following warning to residents living in the areas near where the Bluecut Fire is burning:

"There is an imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Oak Hills & surrounding areas. Please follow the evacuation instructions, as this is a very quickly growing wildfire. An estimated 34,500 homes and 82,640 people are being affected by the evacuation warnings."

San Bernardino County authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for the following areas: the entire community of Wrightwood; Wrightwood from San Bernardino County Line to Jackson Lake; west of I-15, and west of Highway 395 and west of Summit Valley; south of Bear Valley Road and east of Caughlin Road; east of Sheep Creek, south of Phelan Road, and west of Green Road, including the Desert Front Road area; Lone Pine Canyon; Swarthout Canyon; West Cajon Valley; and Lytle Creek Canyon.

Click here for a map of the areas under evacuation orders.

Evacuation centers are being set up for residents living in the areas impacted by the fire. Currently there is a shelter in place at the Jessie Turner Community Center, located at 15556 Summit Avenue in Fontana. A second shelter has been set up at Sultana High School, located at 17311 Sultana Street in Hesperia.

Several animal evacuation shelters have also been set up to house both large and small animals affected by the evacuation mandates.

The Apple Valley Animal Shelter, located at 22131 Powhatan Road in Apple Valley is currently accepting both large and small animals. The Devore Animal Shelter, located at 19777 Shelter Valley in San Bernardino is currently sheltering small animals only. A third shelter set up at the San Bernardino/Victorville Fair Grounds, located at 14800 7th Avenue in Victorville is currently taking in large animals only.

Numerous road closures have been put into place in response to this rapidly spreading inferno. The following closures are current as of Wednesday morning, but may change and/or increase in the coming hours and days.

Southbound 395 is closed at Joshua; Hwy 138 is closed from Interstate 15 to Hwy 2; State Route 2 is closed from the Los Angeles County Lines to the 138; Hwy 138 is closed between County Line to Hwy 173; Old Cajon Blvd is closed north of Devore Cutoff; Lytle Creek at Glen Helen is closed; Beekley Road from Phelan Road to the 138 is closed; Hwy 38 to Lone Pine Canyon has been closed; 15 Northbound at I-215 is shut down, as is 15 Southbound at Ranchero.

The following are recommended alternate routes, per the California Highway Patrol:

- From the Valley to the High Desert: Interstate 10E to Hwy 62N to Hwy 247N to Hwy 18W

- From the High Desert to the Valley: Hwy 18E to Hwy 247S to Hwy 62S to I-10W

Oversize and over-length vehicles (buses, RVs, and Semis) are advised not to use SR18 or SR138, or any other mountain roads due to the amount of traffic utilizing these roads with the San Bernardino Mountains.

Some school districts in the area near where the Bluecut Fire is burning have announced evacuation procedures for elementary school students on Wednesday, as well as bus route cancellations.

In the San Bernardino City School District, students at Kimbark Elementary School are being evacuated to Chavez Middle School (located at 6650 North Magnolia Avenue in San Bernardino), where they will stay until the end of the school day.

Wrightline Elementary School students from the Snowline Unified School District have also been evacuated. School officials say that parents who cannot pick up their children by 3:00 p.m. are directed to head to Serrano High School (located at 9292 Sheep Creek Road in Phelan) for reunification.

Additionally, Snowline Unified School District has cancelled bus routes in Wrightwood and the West Cajon Valley. Students on those routes will be redirected to Serrano High School as well, for reunification.

Parents of students in the Snowline Unified District may visit the official District website or call the main information line at (760) 868-5817 with any questions regarding their children or other issues in reference to the Bluecut incident.

In terms of firefighting efforts, San Bernardino Forest Service is in Unified Command with Cal Fire, San Bernardino County Fire, San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, and the California Highway Patrol.

Currently there are 1,309 firefighters on scene at the Bluecut blaze. In terms of resources being utilized to battle the fire, there are 152 fire engines, 18 crews, eight air tankers, two Very Large Air Tankers (VLATS), and eight helicopters (including night flying helicopters). Authorities have requested additional firefighting personnel and equipment to help in a quick and direct response to attaining some degree of control in terms of fire containment.

Officials have identified the following actions in terms of immediate plans to gain an edge over this wildfire: "provide structure defense and establish containment lines as opportunities present."

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued on Tuesday this state of emergency proclamation, "due to the huge expanse of this fire; the destruction of several homes and threat to thousands of additional homes and structures; the evacuation of thousands of residents; injuries to several firefighters as well as destruction of firefighting equipment; and the circumstances of the Bluecut Fire by reason of its magnitude," which are likely to be beyond the control of the services of just local government agencies and officials,

For all who are or will be affected by the Bluecut blaze, please keep safety a top priority and adhere to all mandates issued by local authorities and firefighting officials. Be sure to tune in to local news channels as well as LatinPost.com whenever possible for additional information and updates on this fire.