Mountain Fire 92 percent contained
The fight against the nearly encircled Mountain Firewas winding down today, with command of the blaze handed over to localpersonnel this morning and full containment expected on Friday, the U.S. ForestService said.
The blaze was 92 percent contained as of 8:45 a.m., having scorched morethan 27,500 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest since breaking outnear Idyllwild 10 days ago. A U.S. Forest Service statement said the cost offighting the fire had risen to $25.2 million.
The fire’s acreage has changed little since Sunday, thanks to rain fromthunderstorms over last weekend and earlier this week. The area was expected tocontinue drying out today, although there’s a 20 percent chance ofthunderstorms tonight, according to officials.
“Fire crews continue to improve (the) fireline and are extinguishinghot areas close to the fire’s edge,” a Forest Service statement said today.“Residents and visitors may still see smoke towards the north end of the fire,due to the heavy fuels within the perimeter of the fire.”
The number of fire personnel assigned to the blaze continues to bereduced, with 146 remaining. The fire, which has been under the unified commandof the Forest Service and Cal Fire, was turned over to a San BernardinoNational Forest local team, officials said today.
The blaze has claimed 23 structures, including seven homes, but no majorinjuries have been reported.
The fire is believed to have started around 1:45 p.m. on July 15 nearthe junction of Highways 243 and 74. The 23 structures swallowed by the blazewere all destroyed on the first day of the fire.
The cause remains under investigation. Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, a U.S.Forest Service fire chief, said last week that the fire was determined to be“human-caused.”
Evacuations that affected as many as 6,000 people were lifted on Sunday.The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which closed Thursday due to fire-generatedsmoke, reopened Tuesday. The nearby Mount San Jacinto State Park and WildernessArea, several campgrounds, Humber Park and Pacific Crest Trail and itsconnecting trails remain closed.
