BANNING (CBSLA.com) — Hundreds of Riverside County residents are under mandatory evacuation Friday as crews battle a wildfire that’s scorched more than 16,000 acres and forced the closure of a major highway.
The Silver Fire has destroyed 26 homes and one commercial building near Banning, south of the 10 Freeway.
As of Friday morning, the brush fire was 20 percent contained, the Riverside County Fire Department said.
Four firefighters and one civilian have been injured. The civilian was airlifted from the scene, suffering from burns all across the body, officials said.
The extent of the firefighters’ injuries was unknown.
The blaze was reported around 2:05 p.m. Wednesday on Poppet Flats Road south, according to fire department officials.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ordered the evacuation of Snow Creek and Cabazon Village, south of Esperanza Avenue and north of Hattie Avenue early Thursday morning.
Mandatory evacuations were already in place for Poppet Flats, Twin Pines, Silent Valley, Vista Grande, Mt. Edna and some parts of Cabazon. An evacuation warning was issued for the campgrounds of Black Mountain and Boulder Basin, as well as the Black Mountain lookout.
Highway 243 has also been closed between Banning and Azalea Trail in Poppet Flats.
Sixteen structures, including several homes, have been damaged or destroyed in the Twin Pines area.
The American Red Cross has opened evacuation centers at the following locations:
• Hemet High School, 41701 East Stetson Avenue
• Beaumont High School, 39139 Cherry Valley Boulevard
• Animal Evacuation: San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 South Grand Avenue
An estimated 1,400 firefighters, 84 engine companies, 13 helicopters and six air tankers, four water tenders and eight bulldozers have been assigned to the scene, according to RCFD.
Riverside County Fire is working with several other agencies to tackle the blaze, including the Bureau of Land Management, CAL FIRE/Riverside, California Highway Patrol – Indio, March ARB, Morongo Fire Department, Riverside County Fire Office Of Emergency Services, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Forest Service – San Bernardino.
Meanwhile, crews in the San Gabriel Mountains are battling a brush fire near Wrightwood. The Sharp Fire has burned 60 acres and forced mandatory evacuations, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said.
Senator Barbara Boxer, who lives in Riverside County, toured the area affected by the Silver Fire Thursday.
“I will help insure that everyone here gets what they need to contain this fire and help residents who have been forced to evacuate,” Boxer said at a news conference.
FEMA funds have been issued to help pay for the cost of fighting the wildfire.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
