250 Forced to Flee Homes as Blaze Chars 1,000 Acres
About 250 residents of the Riverside County communities of Poppet Flats and Silent Valley were evacuated from their homes Friday afternoon as a wildfire moved rapidly through more than 1,000 acres of brushland in the rugged foothills 10 miles west of Mt. San Jacinto.
The flames cut across California 243 between Banning and Idyllwild, closing the road to all traffic. Three firefighters suffered smoke inhalation and other minor injuries while battling the blaze.
County fire officials said 13 aircraft, 50 fire engines and more than 600 firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Division of Forestry were deployed against the blaze, which was only 15% contained by nightfall. The officials said it was still to early to estimate when the wildfire might be fully contained or controlled.
The fire broke out shortly before 10 a.m., officials said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately determined.
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