Incidents All News

June 24, 2023 – The San Jacinto District will proceed today with the prescribed burn on Thomas Mountain. The primary objective remains consistent, focusing on working the interior of the fire and consuming the accumulated downed and dead fuels. Residents and visitors will see flames and smoke visible throughout the day and evening.

June 23, 2023 - Evening Update - Burn operations for today have concluded successfully. Approximately 1,592 acres have been accomplished. Crews have been able to complete both the south and north side of the Thomas Mountain Prescribed Burn. Tomorrow the crews will focus on the interior area of the prescribed burn area. They will utilize aerial ignitions, which involve using aircraft to drop incendiary devices to help ignite targeted areas. This approach assists with containing the fire within the predetermined boundaries.

June 20, 2023 - Evening Update - Operations for today have concluded successfully, to date, there have been 1,342 acres accomplished. Smoke was visible throughout the day, indicating the fire was still actively burning and consuming fuels on the north side. Firefighters were unable to engage in ignitions on the south side of Thomas Mountain due to unfavorable wind conditions. Instead, they focused their efforts on reinforcing the existing containment lines as they were tested by the winds.

June 23, 2023 -Afternoon Update – You may have noticed more smoke this mid-morning through this late afternoon as weather conditions improved today, enabling the fire management team to carry out ground ignitions on the south side of the burn area. This area has been a challenge the last two day with the unfavorable winds. Subsequently, as the weather cleared up further, aerial ignition operations were conducted in the interior to consume unburnt fuels.

June 22, 2023 - Evening Update - Operations for today have concluded successfully, to date there have been 1,492 acres accomplished.

June 22, 2023 - The San Jacinto District will be continuing the prescribed burn today on Thomas Mountain. Residents and visitors will see flames and smoke visible throughout the day and evening. If you are traveling on California Highway 74 you may experience brief closures due to aerial operations. These closures are to protect both the firefighters involved in the operations and the public using the highway.

June 21, 2023 - Evening Update - Burn operations for today have concluded successfully. With approximately 1,392 acres accomplished so far, crews are making good progress.

June 21, 2023 - The San Jacinto District will be continuing the prescribed burn today on Thomas Mountain at 7am. Residents and visitors will see flames and smoke visible throughout the day and evening. If you are traveling on California Highway 74 you may experience brief closures due to aerial operations. These closures are to protect both the firefighters involved in the operations and the public using the highway.

June 20, 2023 - The San Jacinto District will be continuing the prescribed burn today on Thomas Mountain. Residents and visitors will see flames and smoke visible throughout the day and evening. If you are traveling on California Highway 74 you may experience brief closures due to aerial operations. These closures are to protect both the firefighters involved in the operations and the public using the highway.

June 18, 2023 - The San Bernardino National Forest (BDF) San Jacinto District will be continuing the prescribed burn today on Thomas Mountain; west of the community of Garner Valley and southeast of the communities of Idyllwild and Mountain Center. Residents and visitors will see flames and smoke visible throughout the day and evening. If you are traveling on California Highway 74 you may experience brief closures due to aerial operations. These closures are to protect both the firefighters involved in the operations and the public using the highway.