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Fast-Spreading Wildfire Forces Evacuations In Idyllwild, Arrest Made

IDYLLWILD (CBSLA) – A fast-growing wildfire in the rural Riverside County community of Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains has forced evacuations Wednesday afternoon. (LoudLabs) The Cranston Fire broke out sometime before noon off Highway 74, between Hemet and Mountain Center. By 4 p.m., the fire had grown to about 1,200 acres and was zero percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service reports. Mandatory evacuations had been issued for Idyllwild, Pine Cove and Fern Valley. As of 4 p.m. 110 homes had been evacuated, 600 structures were threatened and 3,800 customers in the Idyllwild area were without power, according to the U.S. Forest Service. A man was in custody for questioning in the Cranston Fire that might have been intentionally set. CHP says he was driving a car that matched the description of a vehicle seen near the origin of the fire. #CranstonFire evacuations expanded to all of Idyllwilld, Pine Cove and Fern Valley. Leave immediately. — San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) July 25, 2018 Evacuations are ordered at Inspiration Point moving East along Double View all the way to HWY 243. IFPD – FF https://t.co/I779pfOn6k — Idyllwild Emergency (@IdyllEmergency) July 25, 2018 The fire was growing at a “rapid rate of spread,” the San Bernardino National Forest tweeted. Highway 74 between the Cranston Fire Station and Lake Hemet was closed. Highway 243 between Pine Cove and Mountain Center was also closed. Firefighters were CAL Fire and USFS were battling the blaze. The cause of the fire was not known. #cranstonfire @SanBernardinoNF from Hemet pic.twitter.com/wVTpKg7ICH — Grace Blair (@graciiegirl08) July 25, 2018

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Fast-Spreading Wildfire Forces Evacuations In Idyllwild, Arrest Made

July 25, 2018 0 comment

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1,000-Acre Wildfire Evacuates Entire Town In San Bernardino Mountains

written by NelleB58uk

FOREST FALLS (CBSLA) – A 1,000-acre wildfire which erupted Friday afternoon in the San Bernardino Mountains has forced the evacuation of hundreds of people in the community of Forest Falls. The Valley Fire was reported at around 1:42 p.m. in the area of Valley of the Falls Drive and Highway 38, according to the U.S. Forest Service. (San Bernardino National Forest/Twitter) It spread quickly, growing to 1,000 acres within about six hours. The entire town of Forest Falls, which has about 1,000 people, was ordered to evacuate. There was no containment as of 7 a.m. Saturday, the San Bernardino National Forest reported. No structures have yet been damaged or destroyed. Highway 38 is closed between Bryant Street in Yucaipa to Lake Williams Drive in Big Bear. “And so the fire just started accumulating, and it just started blowing upwards towards where we’re living right now,” resident Don Franklin said. About 500 campers and staff at Forest Homes Ministries, near where the fire sparked, were also forced to evacuate to a church in Yucaipa. “It was safe, there wasn’t a rush, it was more precautionary than anything else,” said Gary Wingerd with Forest Home Ministries. Triple-digit temperatures and low humidity, coupled with steep terrain is making the firefight difficult, the Forest Service said. About 500 firefighters with San Bernardino County Fire, CAL Fire and USFS are battling the blaze. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It’s unclear when residents may be allowed to return to their homes. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke advisory due to the Valley Fire. Areas impacted by the advisory include Big Bear Lake, the San Bernardino Valley, Banning Pass and the central San Bernardino Mountains. Meanwhile, crews were making great progress on the Box Fire burning in the Cajon Pass . As of Saturday, it was holding at 100 acres and was 50 percent contained.

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1,000-Acre Wildfire Evacuates Entire Town In San Bernardino Mountains

July 7, 2018 0 comment