Mountain fire: Another community faces possible evacuation

Authorities Friday told residents in the community of Pine Cove to prepare for a possible evacuation order as the Mountain fire continued to burn in the San Bernardino National Forest.

The small community is north of Idyllwild, which has been under mandatory evacuation orders along with Fern Valley and Trails End as the fire approaches those areas.

California 243 has been closed south of Pine Cove to Mountain Center, said Steve Gut, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

PHOTOS: Mountain fire near Idyllwild

The massive blaze has burned more than 24,800 acres and is 15% contained, he said. The fire is burning in very steep and rugged terrain just east of the Mountain Center and Apple Canyon area.

Fire officials said air tankers and helicopters are continuing to make water drops along the northwest side of the fire to secure containment lines and stop the fire from growing. More than 3,300 firefighters are on the ground fighting the fire.

Officials were worried earlier Friday that the fire would increase in size because of expected thunderstorms. The storms would have led to possible lightning and erratic wind conditions, but the thunderstorms never materialized, Gut said.

The fire broke out Monday afternoon and flames quickly raced across dry chaparral, underbrush and trees. More than a dozen structures, including some homes, have been destroyed or damaged in the Bonita Vista and Pine Springs areas, authorities said. At least four vehicles were also destroyed, fire officials said.

Those living in the Apple Canyon and Bonita Vista areas have since been allowed to return to their homes.

Investigators said they believed the blaze was man-made but had not determined a precise cause.

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