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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Mountain Wildfire Destroys Homes


State, Federal and Local Government fire fighters are moving in to try and tackle the Mountain Fire in Riverside County. Units from Riverside County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Kern County, United States Forest Service, BLM, Corona, CAL EMA and Cal Fire have been working around the clock to save structures in the Lake Hemet area.
 
Winds have shifted today making the fire very dangerous for area residents or Garner Valley east of Lake Hemet. Three residential structures, three mobile homes, 6 vehicles and 11 outbuildings have been destroyed by the 14,000 acre Mountain Fire in Riverside County.
 
Firefighters from numerous State, County and Federal agencies are trying to surround a monstrous wildfire that started near the intersection of Highway 243 and Highway 74 east of Hemet and just south of Idyllwild. The fire jumped Highway 243 in several places and then moved east to destroy homes in Apple Canyon and Bonita Vista.
 
The fire started at 1:43 PM  on July 15 and has no signs of slowing. Some monsoonal moisture may come from the south on Friday, but monsoonal moisture also brings the chance of lightning and strong winds which may hamper firefighting efforts. The fire has gone over the desert divide and for a time appeared to be moving towards the Palm Springs area. The fuels in the Lake Hemet area consist of heavy brush and timber at the higher elevations. 

Riverside County and Cal Fire crews were also busy last night with a very fast moving grass fire in San Timeteo Canyon near Redlands BLVD. Approximately one hundred firefighters were trying to hold the fire last night from jumping to the west over Redlands Blvd. Sweltering temperatures and low relative humidity have made the area very prone to wildfire. This year it is paramount to have good clearance of dry vegetation from homes in California. 















 
 Photos Copyright Jeff Zimmerman

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