Incident: Mountain Wildfire Released: 3 hrs. ago EVACUATION NOTICE Due to the rapid growth of the Mountain Fire the Riverside County Sheriffs office in cooperation with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District has issued an Evacuation Order. The following areas are being evacuated: The communities of Idyllwild and Fern Valley, US Forest Service Campgrounds and the US Forest Service Wilderness and the Mt. San Jacinto State Park are also included. This evacuation notice does not include the areas of Pine Cove, Mountain Center, and Poppet Flat. The fire has transitioned from a wind driven fire to a fuel and topography driven fire. This condition has caused a shift in the direction of spread necessitating the evacuation as the fire moved to the west this afternoon and presents a threat to nearby communities. With vegetation moistures at record lows fire spread has been extreme and dangerous. This is the best choice in a difficult situation. The highest priority is to protect the lives of citizens in the immediate area of the blaze. Every possible effort is being taken to slow the fire and prepare to halt its progress. Firefighters continue to fight the fire on the ground and with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Additional crews are improving contingency lines west of the fire where they may be afforded the opportunity to stop the fires advance. Residents who are out of the area and need to return to evacuate family and retrieve valuables will be allowed through road closures with proper identification. Evacuation Routes Hwy 74 to Hemet Hwy 243 to Banning Hwy 74 south to Anza, Palm Desert Road closures: State Highway 74 between the Pepper Trees to State Highway 371. State Route 243 at Banning. Evacuation Centers Hemet High School, and Hamilton High School and Beaumont High School
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 03:19:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015