BANNING: Rugged terrain a challenge in 1,500-acre Hathaway Fire
BY JOHN ASBURY | STAFF WRITERFirefighters are being brought by helicopter Monday morning, June 10, into the rugged terrain north of Banning where the Hathaway Fire has charred 1,500 acres.
Flames are burning north of the Morongo Indian Reservation in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. No structures or communities are threatened, U.S. Forest Service officials said.
The dense fog that lay over the San Gorgonio Pass on Monday morning did not extend into high enough elevations to provide relief in the burn area, fire crews said from their camp at Noble Creek Park in Beaumont.
The blaze was 15 percent contained at 6:30 a.m. Fire officials said the acreage and containment line numbers could not be updated until the fog cleared and pilots can remap the burned area.
About 1,000 firefighters are assigned to the fire, up from 400 Sunday evening. With help from nine air tankers and eight water-dropping helicopters, they are working on building containment lines around the fire.
Overnight, flames switched directions and began moving east toward Highway 62.
"No structures are currently threatened but there is a lot of smoke and ash drifting up towards the Big Bear and Lucerne Valley areas," Forest Service officials wrote in an incident overview. The fire remains several miles from those communities.
"The fire is burning in heavy chaparral and timber fuels with no known burn history," fire officials wrote. "This fire is in a remote area and is difficult to access."
The fire was reported shortly before noon Sunday at the base of Hathaway Canyon on the Morongo Indian Reservation. It burned northward into the national forest, heading toward Snow Peak, Raywood Flat and the San Gorgonio Wilderness, fire officials said.
As it burned, it sent up a huge cloud of smoke that could be seen for miles.
There is no estimate for full containment, which could take several days or weeks because of the steep terrain.
Weather in the area of the fire Monday morning was 68 degrees, with 43 percent relative humidity and winds from the southwest at 10 mph, the Forest Service reported.
Source: http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/the-pass/the-pass-headlinesindex/20130610-banning-rugged-terrain-a-challenge-in-1500-acre-hathaway-fire.eceCheck out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
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