Stubborn Heat Stokes Rash of Fires

The combination of sizzling temperatures and bone-dry brush Sunday left firefighters scrambling to get the upper hand Sunday on a rash of blazes scorching thousands of acres in Southern California.

More than 350 firefighters, aided by six air tankers and two helicopters, fought to keep a 4,500-acre blaze away from the Riverside County community of Pine Cove in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Hemet, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said.

By Sunday evening, authorities were turning back traffic along major roads into the mountain communities.

In the Angeles National Forest, hundreds of firefighters struggled to beat back a searing blaze near Shoemaker Canyon and East Fork Road north of Azusa.

That fire had blackened more than 300 acres by 4 p.m., and sheriff’s deputies evacuated about 500 people from a campground nearby, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said. Deputies and a search-and-rescue team used trucks and a helicopter to expedite the evacuation.

In Riverside County, heavy smoke blanketed the hamlet of Pine Cove, making it appear that twilight had descended at midday. The town’s normal population of 600 was boosted to 2,000 over the weekend with all six of its campgrounds full, officials said.

Authorities said most of the campers left on their own early Sunday, but one state-run campground with 50 campsites was evacuated. Officials said they were prepared to evacuate Pine Cove should shifting winds push flames close enough to threaten the town.

Sparks from ricocheting bullets fired by target shooters ignited the blaze, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Lenore Will.

Billowing clouds of ash over Pine Cove drifted to earth like a light snowfall Sunday afternoon, and firefighters from neighboring Orange and Los Angeles counties stood poised in reserve along major roads to help protect businesses and homes in the event that the flames threatened the community.

The fire, which began in Bee Canyon, just east of Hemet, is one of at least seven that plagued Riverside County. It burned to the edge of Valle Vista, where it was stopped by a protective green belt of orange groves, Will said.

In other fires, officials predicted that a blaze that burned more than 1,300 acres near Temecula will be contained by 6 p.m. today. That fire, which began at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, destroyed a home, four vehicles, two sheds, two motor homes and three mobile homes, authorities said.

The fire also destroyed the maintenance yard at the Red Hawk Golf Course near Temecula, causing $25,000 in damage, fire officials said.

In Highland Springs near Banning, firefighters gained the upper hand on a blaze that scorched 1,143 acres of steep rocky terrain. Full containment is expected at 8 a.m. today, officials said.

A 600-acre fire that burned two structures in Lake Riverside in southwestern Riverside County should be contained by 8 a.m. today, officials said.

Authorities predicted that they would have control by midnight Sunday of a 538-acre fire of undetermined origin in Moreno Valley. And a blaze in Murrieta was reported contained at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

A 40-acre fire damaged or destroyed 12 structures--including at least one home--in Riverside County’s Mead Valley on Saturday evening. Shirli Souther suffered second- and third-degree burns on her arms while trying to save her animals in the blaze that destroyed her home. She lost two small dogs in the fire.

Firefighting was made more difficult by temperatures that reached 112 degrees in Palm Springs and 95 at the Los Angeles Civic Center.

The heat sent people in droves to Southland beaches, where powerful surf and strong riptides kept lifeguards busy.

“It’s one of the most crowded days I’ve seen in a couple of years,” said Los Angeles County Lifeguard Lt. Robert McGowan at Hermosa Beach. He estimated that there were more than 300,000 people crowded onto South Bay beaches. Lifeguards carried out more than 100 rescues, he said.

Beaches were just as jammed in Santa Monica, where lifeguards warned swimmers of dangerous surf. Lifeguard David Estey said scores of swimmers had been rescued.

Temperatures will be above 90 at the Civic Center through Tuesday, when a strong high pressure ridge sitting across much of the western U.S. will begin to move off, allowing a marine layer to begin building, said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist at WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

By week’s end, temperatures should settle in the low 80s, he said.

Leeds reported from Los Angeles and Hennessey from Riverside County.