Nearly 200 San Bernardino and Riverside County firefighters responded Sunday to a blaze that engulfed hundreds of acres and threatened structures in Fontana, Southern California’s The latest in a series of fires.
Eric Sherwin, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said the 400-acre fire was 80 percent contained just after 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, farther north in Fresno County, the Basin Fire, one of the state’s two largest fires, continues to grow amid the harsh temperatures expected across California’s interior this week.
The Fontana Fire, known as the Sierra Fire, was first reported around 2:30 p.m. near Sierra Avenue and Jurupa Avenue south of Highway 10. Sherwin said the fire spread along the hillside, and once it reached the top of the mountain, the breeze fanned the flames.
Although no damage was reported Sunday, officials warned that buildings could be threatened but stopped short of calling for evacuations. Sherwin said the structural threat had been “mitigated” by Sunday evening and firefighters remained on scene to reinforce containment lines.
Two firefighters were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, he said.
The cause of the fire is unclear. Sherwin urged people to be cautious amid record-breaking heat in parts of the state because dry grass can easily catch fire and spread. He said sparks from a lawn mower are enough to start a brush fire.
“Southern California is ready to burn. These fires are everywhere,” he said. “Everything we can do to prevent fires from happening will reduce the number of fires that could threaten a homeowner.”
A fire broke out in Moreno Valley in Riverside County on Saturday, burning more than 200 acres. As of Sunday, more than a dozen fires were burning across the state, according to Cal Fire.
The largest of the fires is in Fresno County, where the Basin Fire, which broke out Wednesday, had burned nearly 12,000 acres by Sunday night and was not yet contained, according to Cal Fire.
In the Central Valley, the Fresno June Lightning Complex Fire that started Monday has burned more than 10,600 acres, according to the latest update from Cal Fire. As of Sunday evening, officials had 61% of the fire contained.
