UPDATE @ 10:12 p.m.: Firefighters are making progress in battling a brushfire that consumed almost 650 acres of brush in less than four hours today on the mountain south of Banning, and blocked the highway to Idyllwild.
At 9 p.m., the blaze was 20 percent contained, according to Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson.
Dispatchers received a call at 11:42 a.m. about flames seen below the Alandale Fire Station of the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire initially blackened 100 acres in less than two hours, but the size of the acreage grew by 3 p.m., fanned by 15 to 20 mph gusts in the steep, rugged terrain.
No structures have been threatened, Hendrickson said.
CHP officers closed Highway 243 at San Gorgonio Avenue and Wesley Street, south of Banning. Northbound drivers hoping to go down from the mountain area were stopped at Poppet Flats, the CHP reported.
“This fire has a lot of potential to grow, but we have a lot of resources on it,” a dispatcher said.
Aerial firefighting equipment dropped water and flame retardant earlier today, he said.
Flames and smoke were reported to be visible on Interstate 10 in San Gorgonio Pass.
Update @ 3:21 p.m.: The 100-acre fire that started near Highway 243 has now grown to 650 acres in size, according to a report from the Riverside County Fire Department.
Jenny Kirchner/SWRNN
The growing fire has prompted the closure of the highway at South San Gorgonio and Wesley Roads as well as at Poppet Flats Road, according to the report.
According to SWRNN reporter Jenny Kirchner, radio transmissions indicated that officials are calling for the voluntary evacuation of Twin Pines Ranch in Banning.
Original:
Firefighters responded today to reports of a 100-acre vegetation fire just south of Banning and are attempting to put it out, a Riverside County Fire Department Spokeswoman said.
The fire began about 11:43 a.m. near Highway 243 in an area east of Poppet Flats and north of Pine Cove, two small towns near Banning, according to Riverside County Fire Department Spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson.
Jenny Kirchner/SWRNN
Forty-one fire engines and 412 firefighters have arrived on scene since the fire broke out, according to Hendrickson.
Seven air tankers and two helicopters are also on scene, Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson said no structures are threatened by the fire, but it does appear to be moving east due to 15-20 mile per hour winds.
This is an ongoing story. Check back with SWRNN for additional details.
*City News Service contributed to this report.
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