Hathaway fire in near Banning swells to 3,130 acres

Firefighters battling the 3,130-acre Hathaway Fire inthe San Gorgonio Wilderness east of Banning will face cooler temperatures butdrier air today, forecasters said.

The fire was 40 percent contained late Wednesday as firefighterscontinued the construction of fire lines around the blaze, said Don Garwood,commander of Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 2. Fullcontainment is expected by June 25, he said.

Line construction was nearly complete on the western and southern flanksof the fire, while the northern and eastern flanks were the areas ofconcentration Wednesday night, Garwood said.

A total of 1,430 firefighters from federal, state, county and NativeAmerican agencies were battling the blaze, which started shortly before noonSunday in the northern part of the Morongo Indian Reservation, Garwood said.

Temperatures around the fire zone today are expected to reach the mid80s, compared to the low 90s on Wednesday, said National Weather ServiceMeteorologist Cynthia Palmer.

Today’s forecast also calls for sustained winds in the 10-20 mph rangewith gusts of up to 30 mph, even higher on ridge tops, she said. Those figuresmatch wind conditions experienced in the area on Wednesday. Relative humidityis expected to decrease slightly, however, to between 15 and 20 percent,compared to 23 percent on Wednesday, Palmer said.

The fire increased by a few hundred acres on Wednesday. It is burning ina steep, remote area that is difficult to access, with a significant amountof dead trees because of the 1999-2004 drought and bark beetle infestation,Garwood said.

Forty-one hand crews, 12 helicopters, six air tankers, 50 engines, 18water tenders and 14 bulldozers were assigned to the fire, Garwood said.

Five firefighters were injured and one outbuilding has been destroyed,Garwood said.

The blaze has been designated the Hathaway Fire because it is burningnear Hathaway Canyon Road.