Fires Sweep Over Foothills in San Bernardino County

A brush fire destroyed one house and threatened at least 20 more Monday as it swept over 200 acres of steep foothills in San Bernardino County.

Firefighters hoped to contain the blaze by 7 tonight and to get it under control by Wednesday night, authorities said.

A second fire that erupted Sunday night in remote Devils Canyon in San Bernardino County had burned 150 acres by Monday night and also was expected to be contained today. No structures were threatened.

The fire that began about 5 p.m. Monday moved rapidly at first in the hills west of Interstate 15 just north of Fontana, said Jim Wilkins of the U.S. Forest Service. Homes were evacuated and Lytle Creek Road was closed to all but fire crews.

As many as 500 firefighters, including prison crews, were brought in from a number of departments.

“This is very rough terrain,” said San Bernardino County Fire Marshal Peter Brierty. “It’s a very narrow and a very steep canyon.”

Planes and helicopters dropped fire retardant as well as water from a pond at nearby Glen Helen Regional Park.

The home that burned was on Lytle Creek Road about half a mile north of the freeway. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials did not know the cause of the fire.

Resident Daniel J. Heffernan Jr., sitting in his car near a roadblock, said he fled after the fire “burned all around” his house.

“We’re waiting to see if the house is still there,” he said.

Residents were allowed back into the area about 8 p.m.

The fire that began Sunday burned near the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest and about two miles north of Cal State San Bernardino, but the university wasn’t threatened.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but Forest Service officials said it appeared to have been caused by someone shooting at power lines.

A third fire that started about 4:45 p.m. Monday burned about 60 acres in Rialto, but was contained in two hours, officials said. There were no injuries and the cause of the blaze was under investigation.