Wind-driven brush fire spreads to 100 acres near Rancho Cucamonga
A brush fire broke out in the San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday and quickly spread to 100 acres as firefighters struggled to reach it amid blustery winds, officials said.
The blaze, dubbed the Etiwanda Fire, was reported in the Day Canyon area, not far from Lone Pine Canyon Road, just north of the 210 Freeway shortly after 8 a.m., according to the U.S. Forest Service and Rancho Cucamonga Fire Chief Mike Bell.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for Rancho Cucamonga residents living north of Hillside Road between Haven Avenue and Carnelian Street, the U.S. Forest Service said.
Wind gusts of about 60 mph were hampering efforts to control the blaze, which was initially reported as being about 20 acres.
“When the wind is blowing this hard ... it makes it very hard to keep up with the fire,” Tracy Martinez of the San Bernardino County Fire Department told KTLA.
Additional resources were being sent to battle the wind-whipped fire, which was spreading in a remote area of the forest. Winds were also carrying a large plume of smoke over the 210 and 15 freeways.
Liz Brown, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, said fire departments from surrounding cities were assisting in the firefight, adding that air attacks would be launched against the blaze because of its hard-to-reach location.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but we anticipated these fire conditions because of the fire warning,” Brown said.
Bell of the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department said firefighters were having difficulty getting to the blaze.
Right now, “we’re setting up for more of a defensive stance for now,” he told KTLA at the scene.
“The fire isn’t coming out of the canyon at this time,” Bell said. “Fortunately, we had that rain, which is working in our favor at this time, slowing the speed of the fire.”
Damaging wind gusts of 60 to 75 mph combined with temperatures nearing 100 degrees had prompted red flag warnings across much of the region Wednesday.
In response, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced that extra crews would be deployed in brush areas beginning at 8 a.m. and be on duty for at least 24 hours, depending on weather conditions.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was also placing additional crews and equipment on alert to respond aggressively to any blazes that break out, agency officials said.
“The drought has set the stage for a very dry and potentially dangerous fire season,” Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott told The Times.
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