Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 30,517 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 1

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 30%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Resources:

Hand Crews: 42

Engines: 276

Dozers: 24

Helicopters: 18

Fixed wing: 2

Water Tenders: 40

Total Personnel: 2,845

Current Situation: Today firefighters continued a firing operation that began last night. Firefighters used dozer line, hand line and a road as a fuel break as they fired out vegetation along the eastern edge of the fire. This planned operation involved burning along three miles of line. The fire carried into a continuous fuel bed in steep rugged terrain that was inaccessible by vehicle or on foot. The operation put up an impressive column of smoke most of the day. That column dissipated in late afternoon as the fuels were consumed. Firefighters will be working that area over the next few days, improving the line by extinguishing any materials near the line that could potentially spot across the new perimeter.

An Evacuation Order was lifted for the Oak Glen area of San Bernardino County today. Successful work over the last several days has reduced the threat to the area considerably. Firefighters will continue working on the Yucaipa Ridge to improve the perimeter line. The number of structure protection resources in Oak Glen and Forest Falls will be reduced as the lines become more secure.

The fire has stayed in place in the San Gorgonio Wilderness to the north. Tomorrow, two teams of firefighters will be flown to the area and will begin to build perimeter control line around the northeast portion of the fire, primarily in the wilderness.

The southern portion of the fire remains in patrol status.

Evacuations / Closures: In Riverside County Evacuation Warnings are in effect for the following:

• all areas east of Potrero Road, north of Morongo Road, west of Whitewater Canyon and south of the San Bernardino County Line

• all areas west of HWY 62, north of Interstate 10, South of the San Bernardino county line and east of Whitewater Canyon

   

Riverside County residents: please visit https://www.rivcoready.org/ActiveEvents for an interactive map that will allow you to enter your address to determine if you are within these evacuation warning areas.

In San Bernardino County Evacuation Warnings are in effect for the following areas:

• Forest Falls, Pioneertown, Rimrock, the community of Morongo Valley, including both sides of Highway 62

   

San Bernardino County residents: please visit http://www.sbcounty.gov/sbcfire/Tens/TensContact.aspx to sign up for emergency alerts for your area.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness has been closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

Weather: Warmer and drier conditions are expected over the next few days. Temperatures are expected to be 85 to 95 degrees with decreasing humidity over the fire area.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail: Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land management The PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N101 (Pipes Canyon Road).

Smoke Advisory: Smoke from the Apple Fire has impacted communities to the east. Unhealthful air quality can result in the exacerbation of some medical issues, especially lung problems. Residents with medical issues affected by smoke are encouraged to stay indoors and avoid strenuous activity is smoky conditions.

Donations: Two Apple Fire camps have been established. The camps are essentially small cities that include sleeping areas, a business area and a large kitchen that provides all assigned personnel three meals per day. Area residents who wish to make food donations are encouraged to contribute to local food pantries.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: Riverside County Emergency Management Department, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Fire, California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.

Safety Message: In addition to dealing with the inherent hazards of fighting a wildland fire, firefighters are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by limiting inter-crew face-to-face interactions to what is operationally necessary to engage the fire safely.

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Banning, Calif – The Apple Fire Unified Command will host a community meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Morongo Valley Community Center, 11165 Vale Dr., Morongo Valley, CA to update the public on the latest fire behavior, suppression tactics and possible evacuations and closures.

Members of the Incident Management Team will present a short briefing regarding the incident and will be available to answer questions.

The meeting will be video recorded and posted to the San Bernardino National Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SanBernardinoNF. If technology capabilities allow, the meeting will be live streamed.

If you wish to participate, please follow current COVID-19 precautions that include wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.

Please contact us at the public information phone number above, for reasonable accommodations to participate.

During wildland firefighting operations, protection of human life is always our top priority. If at any time the public feels uneasy about their personal safety, they are encouraged to evacuate. Residents in the vicinity of the Apple Fire are advised to have a plan in place, including household pets and farm animals, as well as a full tank of gasoline, in the event of an evacuation warning or order.

To learn more about how to be Ready for Wildfire, visit www.readyforwildfire.org.

The Evacuation Order for the following area in San Bernardino County has been lifted:
• all areas east of Oak Glen Road, including Potato Canyon and Pine Bench north of the Riverside/San Bernardino county line

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 29,267 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 1

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 30%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Resources:

Hand Crews: 42

Engines: 284

Dozers: 24

Helicopters: 18

Fixed wing: 2

Water Tenders: 38

Total Personnel: 2,664

Current Situation: Progress on containing the Apple Fire continues. Containment line in the Oak Glen area will be complete today. The fire continues to back down slopes in that area to create the containment line. Good progress has been made on Yucaipa Ridge as well reducing the threat to Forest Falls. As threats are reduced and containment line has been completed, firefighting resources will shift to areas of greater threat as needed.

Firefighters are completing fire operations in Millard Canyon this morning from the San Gorgonio Wilderness boundary to Corral Rd. They are finishing work the night shift crews began last night. Winds have been favorable and the operation has been successful.

Crews will be transported to the north edge of the fire in the San Gorgonio Wilderness today to assess and determine what needs to be done to secure the northern perimeter. The fire is remaining in place in this area.

The fire origin area on the southwestern perimeter near Cherry Valley and Banning will go into patrol status today. The containment line is completed in this portion of the fire perimeter.

Community Meetings: A community meeting is planned for the Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley communities tonight; details will be sent out via a press release, Inciweb and San Bernardino National Forest Facebook and Twitter as soon as they are available.

Evacuations / Closures: An Evacuation Warning is in effect for the area east of Potrero Road, west to Highway 62 and north of Interstate 10.

Residents: please visit https://www.rivcoready.org/ActiveEvents for an interactive map that will allow you to enter your address to determine if you are within this evacuation warning area.

For San Bernardino County Residents:

NEW The Evacuation Order has been lifted for all areas east of Oak Glen Road, including Potato Canyon and Pine Bench north of the Riverside/San Bernardino county line. An Evacuation Warning remains in place for Forest Falls, Morongo Valley, Pioneertown, and Rimrock.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness has been closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail: Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management The PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N101 (Pipes Canyon Road).

Smoke Advisory: Smoke will travel towards Morongo Valley and remain in the area until late evening. People with health conditions sensitive to smoke should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exercise in this area today.

Evacuation Center: San Bernardino County residents under the Oak Glen Evacuation Order may contact The American Red Cross at (571) 595-7774.

Weather: Conditions will be similar to yesterday. Relative humidities will decrease to 10-20% and temperatures are expected in the mid 70’s on the ridges and upper slopes in the fire area.re shifting with winds increasing over the fire area. Windy conditions continue to be of concern for this fire.

Donations: Area residents who wish to make food donations are encouraged to contribute to local food pantries as firefighters are provided with everything they need at the fire camps.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: Riverside County Emergency Management Department, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Fire, California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.

Safety Message: In addition to dealing with the inherent hazards of fighting a wildland fire, firefighters are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by limiting inter-crew face-to-face interactions to what is operationally necessary to engage the fire safely.

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Actualizado: 2020-08-07 07:16 PDT

Incéndio

Se espera que el comportamiento del fuego sea similar al de ayer. El fuego progresará lentamente hasta que encuentre una condición favorable para quemarse en un nuevo drenaje.

Humo

En general, se espera ver períodos ocasionales de alta producción de humo. Las concentraciones de humo serán principalmente bajas/brumosas y ocasionalmente en columnas. En las primeras horas de la mañana, el humo se moverá hacia el este a lo largo de la I-10 (un poco mas hoy que en las mañanas anteriores). A media mañana, la dirección del humo será hacia el corredor de la autopista 62 y permanecerá en esa área durante la noche, hasta temprano en la mañana. Las comunidades de Morongo Valley, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley y Landers serán las más afectadas por el humo. Las concentraciones de humo serán más bajas en Joshua Tree y Twentynine Palms. Hoy podría verse algo de bruma en Big Bear Valley en la tarde.

Patrones de viento

Hoy habrá un ligero cambio en el patrón de viento que traerá el humo más hacia el este que en los días anteriores.

Inland Empire-Desert Region Apple Fire
Issued at: 2020-08-07 06:42 PDT

Fire

Fire behavior is expected to be similar to yesterday. Fire will make slow progress until it finds a favorable condition to burn into a new drainage.

Smoke

Overall, expect to see occasional periods of high smoke production. Smoke will mostly be in low/hazy concentrations and occasional column building. In the early morning hours, smoke will travel eastward along the I-10 (but to a slightly greater degree this morning the previous ones). By midmorning the smoke direction will be towards Highway 62 corridor and remain in that area until the late evening, early morning hours. The communities of Morongo Valley, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley, and Landers will be the strongest impacted with smoke. Concentrations will be lower in Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. Some haze may be visible in Big Bear Valley in the afternoon today.

Wind Patterns

Today's wind pattern will have a slight shift bring the smoke further east than the previous few days.

Public Information Phone: 909-383-5714

Media Information Phone: 213-503-4286

Incident E-mail: 2020.apple@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6902/

San Bernardino National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf

Facebook: facebook.com/SanBernardinoNF/

Twitter: twitter.com/sanbernardinonf

CAL FIRE Riverside County Fire Department: www.rvcfire.org

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 28,085 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 1

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 30%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Resources:

Hand Crews: 36

Engines: 284

Dozers: 24

Helicopters: 18

Fixed wing: 2

Water Tenders: 38

Total Personnel: 2,664

Current Situation: Firefighters made good progress in the Oak Glen area and were able to build direct line just below the fire. The fire is headed towards a rocky area. The smoke in this area was due to heavy fuels burning on the top of Yucaipa Ridge.

The fire burned through heavy fuels in the Millard Canyon area, but stayed in place on the western slopes of Millard Canyon. Planes and helicopters built a line of fire retardant today in preparation for firing out a portion of the vegetation this evening. The goal is to build a containment line to prevent fire movement to the east to the communities of Morongo Valley and Pioneertown.

The fire has stayed in place in the San Gorgonio Wilderness to the north. Firefighters have made good progress with mop-up and backhaul of trash and excess equipment in the origin area of Cherry Valley and Banning Canyon; this area will be in patrol status tomorrow.

Community Meetings: A community meeting is planned for the Morongo and Yucca Valley communities tomorrow evening; details will be sent out via a press release, Inciweb and San Bernardino National Forest Facebook and Twitter tomorrow after plans are complete.

Evacuations / Closures: An Evacuation Warning is in effect for the area east of Potrero Road, north of Morongo Road and west of Whitewater Canyon Road.

NEW The Evacuation Warning in Riverside County has been expanded to include:

• the area east of Whitewater, north of Interstate 10, West of Highway 62, and south of the San Bernardino County line

   

Residents: please visit https://www.rivcoready.org/ActiveEvents for an interactive map that will allow you to enter your address to determine if you are within these evacuation warning areas.

For San Bernardino County Residents:

An Evacuation Order remains in effect for all areas east of Oak Glen Road, including Potato Canyon and Pine Bench north of the Riverside/San Bernardino county line. NEW An Evacuation Warning has been issued for the community of Morongo Valley and joins the warning for Forest Falls, Pioneertown, and Rimrock communities.

The San Gorgonio Wilderness has been closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail: Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management The PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N101 (Pipes Canyon Road).

Smoke Advisory: By mid-morning, smoke will be headed towards Morongo Valley and remain in the area until late evening. People with health conditions sensitive to smoke should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exercise in this area today.

Evacuation Center: San Bernardino County residents under the Oak Glen Evacuation Order may contact The American Red Cross at (571) 595-7774. The evacuation center at Beaumont High School has closed.

Road Closures: In San Bernardino County, the following closures are current: Oak Glen Road at Wildwood Canyon, Oak Glen Road at El Dorado Park and Valley of Falls Drive at Highway 38.

Weather: Conditions are shifting with winds increasing over the fire area. Relative humidity is higher this morning but will decrease especially in the higher elevations where the fire is burning. Temperatures will be cooler today but the windy conditions will dominate fire weather concerns today.

Donations: Two Apple Fire camps have been established. The camps are essentially small cities that include sleeping areas, a business area and a large kitchen that provides all assigned personnel three meals per day. Area residents who wish to make food donations are encouraged to contribute to local food pantries.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: Riverside County Emergency Management Department, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Fire, California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.

Safety Message: In addition to dealing with the inherent hazards of fighting a wildland fire, firefighters are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by limiting inter-crew face-to-face interactions to what is operationally necessary to engage the fire safely.

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

The Evacuation Warning in Riverside County has been expanded to include:

• the area east of Whitewater, north of Interstate 10, West of Highway 62, and south of the San Bernardino County line

The Evacuation Warning in San Bernardino County has been expanded to include:

• the community of Morongo Valley

The Apple Fire Unified Command will host a community meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the U.S. Post Office parking lot in Pioneertown, CA to update the public on the latest fire behavior, suppression tactics and possible evacuations and closures.

Members of the Incident Management Team will present a short briefing regarding the incident and will be available to answer questions.

The meeting will be held in the parking lot of the U.S. Post Office. Attendees are welcome to bring camp chairs for seating.

The meeting will be video recorded and posted to the San Bernardino National Forest Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SanBernardinoNF.

If you wish to participate, please follow current Covid-19 precautions that include wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.

Please contact us at the public information phone number above, for reasonable accommodations to participate.

A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been temporarily closed due to the Apple Fire currently burning in the Banning Canyon area located in Riverside County.

The closure impacts approximately 20.5 miles of trail between the Cottonwood Trailhead near the community of San Gorgonio and the San Bernardino National Forest boundary in Mission Creek Canyon in Riverside County. For the safety of the public and the firefighters battling the flames, unless authorized, no person shall travel along this portion of the trail until further notice. Signage has been posted at the main entrance points. This temporary closure is effective immediately until rescinded or modified, at which time the BLM will issue a press release announcing the reopening. 

The Apple Fire started on Friday, July 31, near Appletree Lane and Oak Glen Road in the Cherry Valley area of Riverside County; the fire continues to burn in the area of the PCT. The fire has burned over 28,085 acres and is currently 30 percent contained.

Maps showing the affected area are available online at: https://go.usa.gov/xfdFF.  You may also view the Notice of Temporary Closure. Continue to monitor the BLM, CAL FIRE Riverside County Fire Department and the Pacific Crest Trail Association web pages for additional news.

-BLM-