Fire forces evacuation of at least 25 homes, causes power outage, scorches 70 acres
More than 200 firefighters worked for nearly nine hours Tuesday to hold a fast-burning fire to 70 acres in the Mojave Narrows Regional Park.
San Bernardino County Fire Department authorities said at a press conference around 7 p.m. Tuesday that the fire was 30 percent contained, and full containment is expected by Wednesday evening. County Fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said that no homes were burned, but numerous outbuildings and a car were destroyed over the course of the blaze.
Mandatory evacuations that were issued for 25 homes along Riverside Drive from Nokomis Road to Riverside Way Tuesday afternoon were lifted Tuesday evening. Structure defense teams had been in place to protect at least seven homes that were immediately threatened.
Authorities said road closures on Riverside Drive north of Mingo Road and west of Chamber Lane will remain in place through Wednesday.
According to County Fire officials,the blaze began near Pelican Lake at 11:48 a.m. Tuesday when a "legal, permitted burn" by the Department of Regional Parks to remove overgrown cattails near the water was taken out of control by unpredictable winds.
"The winds presented a challenge," Martinez said at the Tuesday night press conference. "We had very erratic winds gusting up to 25 mph for most of the day."
Spring Valley Lake residents told the Daily Press Tuesday night that they witnessed a Regional Parks Ranger with a fire starter conducting the burn around 9:30 a.m.
Maury Richmond, who lives in the Spring Valley Lake community on Driftwood Drive overlooking the Narrows, said he sat down at his breakfast nook to eat just before 8 a.m.
“I look out and I see smoke," Richmond said. "I thought it was one of those fire rings. They have campers out there and sometimes they don’t put their fire out. I got out the binoculars. There’s one man out there, he’s out there by the equestrian area gate; there’s an ATV out there.”
According to Richmond, he identified the man as a ranger, who was using a fire starter to ignite flames “in more than one place” that were at least four feet high.
Richmond said he didn’t see a fire engine and also didn’t think too much of the burn, leaving shortly after to his friend’s house in Apple Valley before returning around 11 a.m. or 12 p.m.
“I come home and all this activity is happening at the back of my house,” he said. “I thought, ‘Holy mackerel, that thing got out of control.’”
Another SVL resident, John Kang, told the Daily Press that he saw a person "recklessly" burning the brush around 9 a.m.
Authorities said Tuesday night that they have begun an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the permitted burn, but have no information to lead them to believe any policies were not followed.
A total of four San Bernardino County Sheriff's helicopters arrived on-scene to drop water on the burning riverbed, and two bulldozers helped to create containment lines. Southern California Edison's online outage center reported 88 residents were without electricity Tuesday evening. Reporters at the scene witnessed flames inches from a power station near Riverside Drive and Seneca Road Tuesday afternoon. At least one resident also told reporters their gas utility line was shut off.
Five strike teams from the Apple Valley Fire Protection District were on scene to protect threatened homes. At least two inmate hand crews were also requested from County Fire and CalFire agencies.
The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Sitting Bull Middle School around 2 p.m. and Apple Valley Unified School District suspended bus service Tuesday afternoon. Bus service was suspended for specific stops for students at Desert Knolls and Rio Vista elementary schools, Sitting Bull Academy and Granite Hills High School, according to Superintendent Tom Hoegerman. Parents were asked to pick their children up directly from the campuses, Hoegerman said.
As a heavy wind blew ash throughout the neighborhood near the corner Riverside Drive and Nokomis Road, Animal Control Services with the Town of Apple Valley helped to evacuate animals.
The Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District issued a Smoke Advisory for Apple Valley, Spring Valley Lake, Victorville, Barstow and surrounding Victor Valley communities. Changing weather and fire conditions will determine which areas of the High Desert are affected.
The Smoke Advisory will be in effect "as long as conditions warrant", MDAQMD officials said.
County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said the blaze marked the first of what is bound to be "a long season."