UPDATED: Mountain Fire Grows To More Than 27,000 Acres

CLICK HERE FOR THE JULY 20, 2013 MOUNTAIN FIRE UPDATE.

UPDATED AT 7:22 P.M. JULY 19, 2013: The wildfire burning in steep mountainous terrain in the San Bernardino National Forest southwest of Palm Springs grew to 27,179 acres today, with containment still at only 15 percent, keeping thousands of people under evacuation orders even as others got the green light to go home again.

This morning, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department issued an evacuation warning for the community of Pine Cove near Idyllwild due to the Mountain fire. Anyone who feels threatened by the blaze should evacuate, and everyone in the area should prepare for a possible evacuation order and be ready to leave if one is issued, according to authorities.

The mountain communities were also warned today by the County of Riverside Department of Public Health to boil water before using. 

"Failure to follow this advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness," the department warned.

Residents in areas near Pine Springs Camp, Ronald McDonald Camp (AKA Rainbow Camp), Bonita Vista Road, Living Free Animal Sanctuary, Fleming Ranch, May Valley Road, Zen Center, Hurkey Creek, and Apple Canyon Road were advised to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, ice and cooking purposes as a safety precaution.

The fire, which officials say was the result of human activity, broke out at around 1:45 p.m. Monday in the vicinity of highways 74 and 243, south of Mountain Center, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which revealed this morning that three firefighters were slightly injured in the first hours of the battle, suffering smoke inhalation.

As of this morning, the fire had destroyed 23 structures, according to the Forest Service. An area of more than 6,000 acres of the fire-charred land is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation, according to the tribe.

A total of 3,316 firefighters, 263 engines, a DC-10 and nine other fixed-wing aircraft, 19 helicopters, 30 water tenders and 11 bulldozers were deployed in battling the blaze as of today.

Coachella Valley Assemblymen Brian Nestande and V. Manuel Perez asked Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency. Riverside County on Thursday proclaimed a local emergency, which could make the county eligible for disaster relief if state and federal funds become available for fire-response reimbursement, according to county spokesman Ray Smith. The cost of operations was at $8.6 million as of today, according to the Forest Service.

Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, a Forest Service fire chief, said on Thursday that the fire has been determined to be "human-caused" and is being investigated.

Evacuation orders remained in force today in the communities of Trails End, Idyllwild and Fern Valley -- affecting as many as 6,000 people -- but residents of the Bonita Vista and Apple Valley areas have been allowed to return to their homes, according to the Forest Service.

On Wednesday, evacuation orders were issued for an area that includes Forest Service land and Mount San Jacinto State Park, San Jacinto Wilderness and the Trails End community at the north end of Morris Ranch Road near Garner Valley, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Riverside County sheriff's Capt. Scot Collins said law enforcement personnel are patrolling evacuated areas.

Mountain Center and Poppet Flats were not affected by the evacuation orders, which were issued on Wednesday by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

Evacuation centers have been opened at Hamilton High School in Anza and Hemet and Beaumont high schools, and evacuation centers for animals were set up at Lake Hemet Campground in Garner Valley and the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, according to the Forest Service.

Palm Springs hotels are offering discounted room rates for those affected by the fire, the city's tourism bureau announced on Thursday. A list of participating hotels is posted at www.visitpalmsprings.com.

Highway 243 was closed from Highway 74 to the Nature Center south of Pine Cove, but Highway 74, which had been closed from Cranston Station in Hemet to Highway 371, was reopened on Thursday, according to the Forest Service.

Smoke still hung over parts of the valley today. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was closed due to unhealthy air quality on Thursday and remained so today. The Tahquitz and Indian canyons in the Palm Springs area will be closed to visitors until further notice because of the Mountain fire, according to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The canyons, which cover a 56-square- mile area, are owned and maintained by the tribe.

A smoke advisory issued by the South Coast Air Quality remained in effect today for parts of the Coachella Valley, Hemet, the San Jacinto Valley, the Banning Pass area and the Anza area.

UPDATED AT 3:30 P.M. JULY 19, 2013: Evacuation orders and road closures remain in effect (see below) on the Mountain Fire that has now consumed 24,818 acres in the San Jacinto Mountains and is just 15 percent contained. Find more information about the blaze below following this urgent news release issued by the County of Riverside Department of Public Health:

Failure to follow this advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness.

Due to the recent Mountain Fire effecting communities in the San Jacinto Mountains near Pine Springs, Fern Valley, Apple Canyon, Hurkey Creek and Idyllwild, the California Department of Public Health in conjunction with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health and Riverside County Public Health Department, and Pine Creek and Zen Mountain Water Systems are advising residents of areas near Pine Springs Camp, Ronald McDonald Camp (AKA Rainbow Camp), Bonita Vista Road, Living Free Animal Sanctuary, Fleming Ranch, May Valley Road, Zen Center, Hurkey Creek, and Apple Canyon Road to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, ice and cooking purposes as a safety precaution.

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one (1) minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

• An alternative method of disinfection for residents that are not able to boil their water is to use fresh, unscented, liquid household bleach. To do so, add 8 drops (or 1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of clear water or 16 drops (or 1/4 teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow it to stand for 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this disinfection procedure and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place.

UPDATE AT 2:30 P.M. JULY 13, 2013: Evacuation orders and road closures remain in effect (see below) on the Mountain Fire that has now consumed 24,818 acres in the San Jacinto Mountains and is just 15 percent contained. Find more information about the blaze following this urgent news release issued by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Friday afternoon:

Riverside County Sheriff's Department is issuing an evacuation warning for the community of Pine Cove. If residents feel threatened or may need additional time to evacuate we recommend they evacuate now. We are asking residents to prepare for a possible mandatory evacuation order. We encourage residents to make all preparations to safely evacuate the area should the evacuation order be given.

This evacuation warning is to prepare Pine Cove residents in the event that a mandatory evacuation is issued in the near future.

Riverside Sheriff's Department is maintaining security patrols of Idyllwild, Pine Cove and surrounding communities.

Evacuation route for Pine Cove residents:
HWY 243 North towards Banning

Evacuation Centers:
Hamilton High School, Anza
Hemet High School, Hemet
Beaumont High School

The following areas are being evacuated:

The community of Idyllwild, and all parks and campgrounds in the Idyllwild area.

Due to the rapid growth of the Mountain Fire the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in cooperation with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District has issued an evacuation order.

The following areas are being evacuated:

The communities of Idyllwild and Fern Valley east of Highway 243, U.S. Forest Service Campgrounds, the U. S. Forest Service Wilderness, and the Mt. San Jacinto State Park are also included.

This evacuation notice does not include the areas of Pine Cove, Mountain Center, Idyllwild West, and Poppet Flat.

Evacuation Routes:
Hwy 74 into Hemet
Hwy 243 into Banning
Hwy 74 South towards Anza, Palm Desert

Road: Closures
Hwy 74 will be closed in Hemet, no up bound traffic will be allowed
HWY 243 will be closed in Banning, no southbound traffic will be allowed
HWY 243 will be closed at Mountain Center
HWY 74 closed at HWY 371

Evacuation Centers:
Hamilton High School, Anza
Hemet High School, Hemet
Beaumont High School

Riverside County Sheriff's Department is issuing an evacuation warning for the community of Pine Cove. If residents feel threatened or may need additional time to evacuate we recommend they evacuate now. We are asking residents to prepare for a possible mandatory evacuation order. We encourage residents to make all preparations to safely evacuate the area should the evacuation order be given.

This evacuation warning is to prepare Pine Cove residents in the event that a mandatory evacuation is issued in the near future.

Riverside Sheriff's Department is maintaining security patrols of Idyllwild, Pine Cove and surrounding communities.

Evacuation route for Pine Cove residents:
HWY 243 North towards Banning

Evacuation Centers:
Hamilton High School, Anza
Hemet High School, Hemet
Beaumont High School

The following areas are being evacuated:

The community of Idyllwild, and all parks and campgrounds in the Idyllwild area.

Due to the rapid growth of the Mountain Fire the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in cooperation with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District has issued an evacuation order.

The following areas are being evacuated:

The communities of Idyllwild and Fern Valley east of Highway 243, U.S. Forest Service Campgrounds, the U. S. Forest Service Wilderness, and the Mt. San Jacinto State Park are also included.

This evacuation notice does not include the areas of Pine Cove, Mountain Center, Idyllwild West, and Poppet Flat.

Evacuation Routes:
Hwy 74 into Hemet
Hwy 243 into Banning
Hwy 74 South towards Anza, Palm Desert

Road: Closures
Hwy 74 will be closed in Hemet, no up bound traffic will be allowed
HWY 243 will be closed in Banning, no southbound traffic will be allowed
HWY 243 will be closed at Mountain Center
HWY 74 closed at HWY 371

Evacuation Centers:
Hamilton High School, Anza
Hemet High School, Hemet
Beaumont High School

ORIGINAL POST 8 A.M. JULY 19, 2013: The wildfire burning in steep mountainous terrain in the San Bernardino National Forest southwest of Palm Springs grew to nearly 25,000 acres today, with containment still at only 15 per cent, keeping thousands of people under evacuation orders even as others got the green light to go home again.

The Mountain Fire, which officials say was the result of human activity, broke out around 1:45 p.m. Monday in the vicinity of highways 74 and 243, south of Mountain Center, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which revealed this morning that three firefighters were slightly injured in the first hours of the battle, suffering smoke inhalation.

As of this morning, the fire had charred 24,818 acres and destroyed 23 structures, with containment holding at 15 percent, unchanged from Wednesday, according to the USFS. More than 6,000 acres of the fire-charred land is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' reservation, according to the tribe.

A total of 3,316 firefighters, 263 engines, a DC-10 and nine other fixed- wing aircraft, 19 helicopters, 30 water tenders and 15 bulldozers were deployed in battling the blaze as of Thursday night. Two California Air National Guard firefighting aircraft were activated Thursday to help if needed.

Firefighters used the overnight cooler temperatures to fortify and expand containment lines for today's continuing firefighting efforts, officials said.

There was a chance of thunderstorms today, but they would likely bring more wind than rain, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Greg Martin. Thunderstorms also raise the fear of lightning-sparked fires, he said.

"As we go through the weekend there is more potential of getting some thunderstorms with more rainfall," he said.

Riverside County Thursday proclaimed a local emergency, which could make the county eligible for disaster relief if state and federal funds become available for fire-response reimbursement, county spokesman Ray Smith said. The cost of operations was at $5.5 million as of Friday, according to the Forest Service

The flames came within sight of Palm Springs Thursday, reaching a point just two miles from the city's western edge, but there was no immediate threat to the urban center.

Several fire engines are ready "should additional protection be needed," said Palm Springs Fire Department Chief John Allen, and a U.S. Forest Service official said efforts to keep the blaze away from populated areas were going well.

"We are putting in place a strategy to work our way east ... to contain the fire," Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, a Forest Service fire chief said Thursday at an early-afternoon briefing outside a command post set up to coordinate firefighting operations.

"We've lost three permanent homes and three mobile homes (earlier in the week), but we got everybody out safe and sound," Pincha-Tulley said. "We've got hotshots, Cal Fire resources and quite a fleet of aircraft available. We're doing pretty well. We are the national priority right now."

She said the fire has been determined to be "human-caused" and is being investigated.

Evacuation orders remained in force today in the communities of Trails End, Idyllwild and Fern Valley -- affecting as many as 6,000 people -- but residents of the Bonita Vista and Apple Valley areas have been allowed to return to their homes, according to the Forest Service.

Patrick Reitz, chief of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District, said officials are "optimistic and trying to remain optimistic ... we can keep this on the other side of the ridge so it doesn't come into town."

Some 4,100 residences in the evacuation zones, plus 100 commercial properties, were threatened by the blaze, U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller said earlier this week.

In the Coachella Valley, evacuations orders issued for the Andreas Canyon Club, an area of 24 homes south of Palm Canyon Drive in an unincorporated area south of Palm Springs, were lifted Wednesday, said Forest Service spokeswoman Kate Kramer.

Officials said the fire remains active in the north above Idyllwild and south near Trails End.

On Wednesday, evacuation orders were issued for an area that includes Forest Service land and Mount San Jacinto State Park, San Jacinto Wilderness and the Trails End community at the north end of Morris Ranch Road near Garner Valley, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Riverside County sheriff's Capt. Scot Collins said law enforcement personnel are patrolling evacuated areas.

Pine Cove, Mountain Center and Poppet Flats were not affected by the evacuation orders, which were issued Wednesday by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

Evacuation centers have been opened at Hamilton High School in Anza and Hemet and Beaumont high schools, and evacuation centers for animals were set up at Lake Hemet Campground in Garner Valley and the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, according to the Forest Service.

Palm Springs hotels are offering discounted room rates for those affected by the fire, the city's tourism bureau announced Thursday. A list of participating hotels is posted at www.visitpalmsprings.com.

Highway 243 was closed from Highway 74 to the Nature Center south of Pine Cove, but Highway 74, which had been closed from Cranston Station in Hemet to Highway 371, was reopened Thursday, according to the Forest Service.

Smoke and ash, meanwhile, continued to bedevil the region Thursday, when the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was closed due to unhealthy air quality.

A smoke advisory issued by the South Coast Air Quality remained in effect today for parts of the Coachella Valley, Hemet, the San Jacinto Valley, the Banning Pass area and the Anza area but had not been extended as of early this  morning, and the National Weather Service did not immediately have smoke in its forecast for Palms Spring, as it had over the previous two days.