California fire scorches 15,000 acres, 10% contained
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — As a wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains grew to 15,000 acres Saturday, officials said residents should not be "worried," but should be "concerned."
Containment of what is being called the Lake Fire remains at 10%, despite firefighters' daylong efforts Friday, but none of the 400 structures threatened by the blaze have yet to be destroyed, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
Winds had died down by Saturday afternoon after gusting up to 25 mph Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
The blaze was reported Wednesday near Big Bear and had burned 1,500 acres by 9 a.m. Thursday. Winds helped it grow to 10,000 acres Thursday night and then to 15,000 by Saturday.
San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman Carol Underhill said the fire is expected to continue moving southeast into the San Gorgonio wilderness area, which she said hasn't burned in modern history.
"It's pretty virgin timber and it's been gone over by bark beetles," she said. "Those types of things seem to be keeping the fire going."
Aside from temperatures nearing 100 degrees, firefighters are challenged with different strains of the fire moving off into their own fronts.
"Some fires have one major front, but this one has all these fingers moving off," Underhill said.
As a precaution, the National Forest Service has issued contingency divisions to the Morongo Valley and Pioneertown areas, many residents of which still remember the devastating Sawtooth fire of 2006.
Ten fire engines and one dozer were deployed to the areas Friday night. Underhill said residents shouldn't panic, but should make sure they have an evacuation plan in mind for their families and their pets.
"If I were a resident out there, I wouldn't be worried," she said. "Don't be worried, just be concerned. ... If (the fire department) waited until there was already danger, we'd be way behind the curve," Underhill said.
Elsewhere in California, a 1,000-acre fire in Madera County had destroyed three structures and brought the evacuation of a handful of homes. It was 5% contained.
Over 500 acres have burned in the Sierra National Forest, south of Yosemite National Park, where firefighters warned the blaze fed by heavy, dry brush could double in size in the next few days. Three air tankers were brought in to douse the blaze that was started by a vehicle, according to government reports. It was 15% contained.
Smoke from the Lake Fire has been blowing into Arizona, causing hazy skies over popular destinations like the Grand Canyon and Lake Havasu, park rangers said.
Also in Arizona, a fire is still burning near Kearny, but firefighters continued to build containment lines around it and evacuated residents had been allowed to return home.
Contributing: Brian Rinker of The Arizona Republic; The Associated Press