Incident Overview
The Riverside County Sheriff in cooperation with Idyllwild Fire Protection District has issued an evacuation notice for the Idyllwild and Fern Valley area. This does not include Pine Cove, Mountain Center, and Poppet Flats.
This Evacuation notice also includes the San Jacinto State Park Wilderness, Forest Service Wilderness and Forest Service Campgrounds.
Please read evacuation notice under the "Closures" tab.
Immediate Update - The Trails End Community at the very top of Morris Ranch Road is under an immediate Evacuation Notice!
General Fire Info:
The Mountain Fire started at 1:43 PM on July 15, 2013 near the junction of Highway 243 and Highway 74. It is currently burning east of the Mountain Center and Apple Canyon Areas. It is burning in very steep and rugged terrain in the southern portion of the San Jacinto Wilderness along the Desert Divide and in the Apple Canyon and Bonita Vista Areas.
Last night the fire settled down enough to allow fire crews to attack the south flank of the fire directly. On the north flank, crews made extraordinary effort building line in steep terrain toward South Peak. The night shift did a great job last night.
The weather today remains hot and dry and the high level winds are coming out of the east. This change in wind direction aloft will be demonstrated by the top of smoke columns bending to the west. The most active parts of the fire are near Red Tahquitz Peak above the community of Idyllwild and near the community of Trails End to the south. These two areas will be the focus of today's firefighting activities as both air and ground crews work to slow the rate of spread of the fire. Structure protection contingency plans are being updated in all evacuated communities. On the east side of the fire, the fire continues to slowly back down the mountain as fuels become more sparse at lower elevations.
Damage Assessment Update:
A damage assessment has been completed for the Bonita Vista, Pine Springs and Zen Mountain Center Area.
Bonita Vista - 3 mobile homes and 3 residences were destroyed, 1 residence sustained damage.
Pine Springs - 1 commercial building, a workshop, garage, and cabin were destroyed.
Zen Mountain Center - No damages.
In addition to the above residences, there were a total of 11 outbuildings and 4-6 vehicles destroyed.
It is important to note that while homes and buildings were destroyed or damaged, firefighters were able to defend and save a larger number of homes.
It is always important to remind homeowners that homes and building with proper clearances and fuels abatements always give firefighters better opportunities to successfully defend and save those homes, especially when defending those homes in the face of an advancing fire front.
Campground and Trail Closures:
The Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Highway 74 north to Saddle Junction. All of the trails connection to the Pacific Crest Trail are closed as well, including South Ridge Trail, Carumba Trail, Spitler Peak Trail, Fobes Trail, and Cedar Springs.
All Forest Service Campgrounds located along Highway 243 are closed, The San Jacinto State Park is closed, and the San Jacinto Wilderness is closed.
Hurkey Creek County Camground, and all of the hiking and mountain biking trails out of Hurkey creek and May Valley are closed.
Road Closures and Evacuations:
Highway 243 is under a soft closure from Banning South to Mountain Center; Highway 74 is under a soft closure from the Cranston Fire Station near Valle Vista east to the junction with Highway 371. A soft closure is in place to allow residents access to gather items from their homes or properties.
Idyllwild and Fern Valley is under an evacuation order, please click link for more information: http://inciweb.org/incident/article/3516/19215/
Mandatory evacuation orders are still in effect for the Andreas Canyon Club, south of Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, for Bonita Vista, Pine Springs, and the Zen Mountain Center off of Apple Canyon Road, and Trails End at the North end of Morris Ranch Road.
Camp Ronald McDonald and Camp Joe Sherman have been voluntarily evacuated due to health concerns related to air quality.
Evacuation Centers:
Hemet High School, 41701 E. Stetson Ave, Hemet
Hamilton High School, 57430 Mitchell Road, Anza - Can accept small animals
Large and Small animals can be brought to the San Jacinto Animal Shelter, 581 S. Grand Ave, San Jacinto CA
Equipment on-Scene:
2985 firefighters, including 228 engines, 17 helicopters, 10 fixed wing aircraft, including a DC-10, 51 hand-crews, 21 water-tenders, and 15 dozers.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team lead by Pincha-Tulley assumed command of the fire at 1800 hrs on 7/16/2013. The fire is under Unified Command with CAL FIRE Riverside.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Under Investigation |
| Date of Origin | Monday July 15th, 2013 approx. 01:43 PM |
| Location | Mountain Center |
| Incident Commander | Pincha-tulley Type 1 Imt |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 2,985 |
|---|---|
| Size | 22,800 acres |
| Percent Contained | 15% |
| Fuels Involved | Chaparral and Timber |
| Fire Behavior | Rapid fire spread through timber and chaparral. |
| Significant Events | Evacuations in effect for Idyllwild and Fern Valley, the Apple Canyon Area, and Andreas Canyon Club (S. Palm Springs) |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Continued direct attack where feasible, utilize air resources |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Extreme |
| Terrain Difficulty | High |
| Remarks | Fire is in Unified Command with CAL FIRE Riverside |
Current Weather
| Wind Conditions | 2-5 G8 mph W |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 99 degrees |
| Humidity | 5 - 10% |
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