Evacuations are underway as firefighters battle a vegetation fire that is threatening nearby structures in the area of Third Street and Tippecanoe Avenue in San Bernardino Monday afternoon. San Bernardino County and City fire departments are currently battling the blaze in the 1000 block of Third Street with numerous resources en route to the scene, according to a tweet from county fire.
A vegetation fire charring several acres and burning five outbuildings to the ground was out but still being investigated early Monday evening, fire officials said.
The blaze erupted shortly before 3 p.m. and quickly burned out of control claiming numerous outbuildings, fire officials said.
San Bernardino police officers along with firefighters from several agencies — surrounded by walls of flame and smoke — evacuated homes in the fire’s path Monday afternoon.
Photo gallery: Fire threatens structures in San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, Loma Linda, Colton, CalFire and San Manuel fire departments worked together to knock down the blaze in the 1000 block of Third Street near Tippecanoe Avenue.
“I heard a loud explosion and watched everything start to catch fire,” 42-year-old James Ross said.
Ross, who was walking along the north side of Third Street at the time, said after the explosion a big black plume of smoke began to rise.
Temperatures soared to more than 110 degrees, making it more difficult to battle the blaze, officials said.
Fire officials were looking into the possibility that a makeshift clandestine methamphetamine lab was the cause of the blaze, but shortly after 6:30 p.m. announced there wasn’t any lab deeming the fire suspicious in nature.
Residents were allowed back into their homes shortly after 6 p.m., officials said.
HazMat specialty investigators, as well as arson investigators, are on scene attempting to determine the cause of the blaze.