Firefighters have contained 30 percent of a brush fire that has burned 200 acres and shut down the Highway 86 Expressway in Thermal. An outbuilding was destroyed and powerlines were knocked down, but there have not been any reports of injuries, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The expressway is shut down in both directions between avenues 66 and 81, and traffic is being diverted onto nearby roads, according to the California Highway Patrol. At 4:37 p.m., firefighters were called to Avenue 66 and Pierce Street where the fire is burning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Flames jumped across the expressway, forcing the closure, according to the CHP. The fire is burning at a moderate rate and there are 122 firefighters at the scene. That’s down from 148 firefighters who were there earlier in the evening. Smoke is visible from at least as far west as Indian Wells. Northwest winds brought 25 mph gusts at about 4 p.m. just before the fire was reported, said AccuWeather forecaster Bob Smerbeck. “When you got winds coming off mountains, they kind of excelerate a little bit,” he said. “I’m sure that helped a little bit to fan the flames down there.” Smerbeck said winds moved 10 mph as of 6 p.m. and they should continue to weaken Saturday night. He added it was 91 degrees in Thermal at about 5 p.m., but temperatures dropped to 89 degrees just before 7 p.m.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 05:16:55 +0000
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