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