Two fires, one near and the other in San Diego County, affected Idyllwild last week.
About noon Thursday, July 21, a wildland fire broke out in Anza. The Pony Fire burned nearly 35 acres, but was contained by 8:30 p.m. the same day, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The fire was located near the intersection of Howard Road and Pony Trail.
Although local structures were evacuated, the incident commander reported that fire damage was limited to the loss of one unoccupied outbuilding.
When the first engine arrived, the fire was about 2 acres in heavy fuels. Within an hour, the fire was about 10 acres and expanded to 35 acres by 2:45 p.m.
The report indicated 18 engines responded and 174 firefighters were on site. Air attack and tankers were part of the firefighting force. By 6:30 p.m., the fire containment was sufficient enough that the night crew was limited to one hand crew and one engine.
On Saturday morning, July 23, many residents could detect smoke in the air throughout town. But it was emanating from the Eagle Fire, burning seven miles east of Warner Springs. Its location and weather conditions were causing smoke to drift into Southwest Riverside County through the Coachella Valley.
Located on Los Coyotes Indian Reservation near Warner Springs, the fire had burned 12,800 acres and was only 45 percent contained as of Tuesday, according to the CAL FIRE incident information.
Seventy-one engines, air attack and more than 2,100 fire personnel are combating the blaze. Costs have exceeded $6.5 million.
For further information on the “Eagle” incident, contact the incident information line at (619) 590-3160 and visit the San Diego CAL FIRE website at calfiresandiego.blogspot.com.
