Aug. 09--The number of firefighters injured battling the Silver fire in Riverside County increased to five Thursday night as authorities reported that more than two dozen homes have been destroyed.
The blaze remains just 20% contained.
"There have been a total of five firefighters injured (unknown extent) and one civilian," the Riverside County Fire Department said on its website Thursday night. The civilian reportedly suffered burns from head to toe.
"There have been 26 homes and one commercial structure destroyed by the fire. Two structures were damaged," the department said.
The Silver fire began Wednesday afternoon south of Banning and spread quickly, consuming more than 1,000 acres per hour initially. As of late Thursday, the blaze had grown to 14,000 acres.
More than 1,400 firefighters were on scene.
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