Apple Fire in Calif. sends smoke as far as Arizona
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – More than 2,000 firefighters and multiple aircraft battled the Apple Fire about 85 miles east of Los Angeles as it spread to more than 26,000 acres, sent smoke drifting to Arizona and threatened thousands of homes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Evacuation orders remained in place Monday for thousands of people.
The blaze, centered near the town of Beaumont, began Friday evening as two smaller fires that eventually merged. The fire has been fed by low humidity, a slight breeze, thick vegetation and triple-digit temperatures.
The fire had scorched more than 41 square miles, destroyed three structures and was only 5% contained by Monday. The U.S. Forest Service said the blaze was being battled by 2,296 firefighters and support personnel, including 32 hand-crews, 275 fire engines and 24 bulldozers. Multiple helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were dropping water and fire retardant.
About 7,800 people from 2,600 residences had been ordered to evacuate. No injuries had been reported as of midday Sunday.
Further north, a fire near Reno, Nevada, also burned out of control on Monday. The North Fire, in Nevada near the California border, was at 3,000 acres with 0% containment, and evacuations remained in effect, according to Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue.
The leading edge of smoke from the Apple Fire has pushed as far as the city of Globe, Arizona, roughly 400 miles away, according to the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office. The main body of smoke was visible across south-central and southwest regions of the state.
Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Cal Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said the fire was burning on two sides. The western edge was in the Forest Falls area in San Bernardino County, and the eastern flank was headed toward the Morongo Band of Mission Indians’ reservation in Riverside County.
“It is steep terrain, rugged terrain,” he said. “Access is limited. We can’t really get to it on foot. We rely a lot on the aircraft to do the work during the day.”
Westerly winds forecast for Monday are concerning, said James Brotherton,
a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego. Daytime winds on Monday were slated to be around 10 mph but could get up to 25 mph around the ridges, the higher elevations in the fire area. By Monday night, those winds could pick up to 30 mph.
“The nearby ridges, we are always concerned about how strong those winds are because they could affect the fire area,” he said.
If the wind pushes the fire east toward the San Gorgonio pass – even at just 10 to 15 mph – that could change the outlook of the fire, because the pass already is a natural wind tunnel.
The only structures lost in the fire have been a single-family home and two outbuildings near Avenida Miravilla in Cherry Valley, officials said Saturday.
“It’s so hot and it’s so intense in some of these areas that haven’t been mopped up that it’s hard to get in to make an assessment,” he said.
Among those who had to flee were Rick and Rose Stewart, who live on Avenida
Miravilla in Cherry Valley. They were home with their three granddaughters when flames appeared in the canyon surrounding their home.
The girls’ father soon arrived to pick them up. The canyon filled with flames and the heat destroyed a palm tree and fruits and vegetables in their backyard garden.
As flames approached, Rick Stewart hosed down his home from his backyard.
He soon turned the hose onto himself, fleeing his yard as the fire moved his way.
“I was terrified. You have no idea the amount of heat that came off that. Literally burning your face,” he said.
Stewart said he and his son joined firefighters who had gathered in a clearing near the home. Rose Stewart left, but Rick Stewart was determined to watch his home if it had to burn down.
The home survived: The Stewarts attribute that to a fire break they installed around their home as a precaution after years of surviving fires in the area.