Pedley Fire Contained At 500 Acres

A brush fire that threatened homes along the Riverside County line in Fontana was surrounded this morning.

Taking advantage of cool, moist nighttime conditions, firefighters and inmate crews from two counties had the blaze contained at roughly 500 acres by 4:30 a.m., according to CalFire-Riverside County spokeswoman Jody Hagemann.

Firefighters worked through the night, with crews using back fires to deny fuel to the larger front, which was threatening homes in southern Fontana. The most active front overnight was near Poplar and Citrus avenues.

Natural and manmade fire breaks — including a 10-foot-wide dirt road and a block wall — stood between the flames and homes in south Fontana, CalFire-Riverside County Capt. Fernando Herrera said.

No structures burned, though the fire and backfiring came within 100 feet of homes at times, and no evacuations were ordered after sundown.

Overnight weather conditions favored firefighting efforts.

“Winds in the fire area are calm now,” Brandt Maxwell of the National Weather Service said about 1:30 a.m. “Humidities are coming up to levels of 50 percent to 70 percent.”

About a dozen engine crews were staged near homes with hoses ready, Herrera said.

Yesterday, the fire burned through dry grass, fanned by gusts up to about 25 mph.

The fire was reported at Quartz Hill Canyon and Pedley roads about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, near the Santiago Estates mobile home park in Glen Avon, where 32 of 126 trailers were briefly evacuated, until the wind took the fire north toward Fontana.

A tractor moving debris in the area may have started the fire, authorities said.