Wolf Fire in Southern California explodes over 1,100 acres amid dry, windy conditions
A quickly growing brush fire in Southern California has spread at least 1,165 acres, prompting evacuations, according to fire officials.
The blaze, dubbed the Wolf Fire, was first reported around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon near Wolfskill Truck Trail and Old Banning Idyllwild Road, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Evacuation orders are in place for areas north of Poppet Flat Divide Truck Trail, south of Interstate 10, east of Highland Springs Avenue, and west of Old Cabazon Road, fire officials said.
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The fire is impacting Highway 243, the road to the mountain community of Idyllwild.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
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The Wolf Fire joins a spate of brush fires that have broken out in the region, including in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
There are currently five fires burning across the Inland Empire, according to Cal Fire.
The fires come as weather conditions remain hot and dry, with strong winds prompting red flag warnings.
ABC News' Jenna Harrison and Tristan Maglunog contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
California fire season off to a furious start and experts say it's just the beginning
Wildfire season in Southern California got off to an ominous start this weekend, with several fires sparking across Riverside and San Bernardino counties' parched landscapes, highlighting concerns for much of the Golden State this summer and fall. On Monday, firefighters continued battling the Wolf fire near Banning, which had forced hundreds to evacuate. The blaze had grown to 1,400 acres, and was 10% contained, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. At least two additional areas were ordered to evacuate overnight, officials said, on top of some 750 people who had already been put under evacuation warnings or orders Sunday. An emergency shelter had been set up for evacuees at Hemet High School. The fire broke out as temperatures spiked in areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties over the weekend. Though winds weren't particularly strong or the humidity remarkably low, much of California's landscape is primed to burn — after a below-average rainy season in Central and Southern California, vegetation is desiccated, setting the stage for an active fire season. 'Just because things have been so dry and we haven't had that meaningful rainfall that we need, that's why we're starting to see fires about to break out,' said Sam Zuber, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego. 'Things are just really dry out there.' Zuber said those triple-digit temperatures in the Southland's deserts and high 90s for the Inland Empire will begin to fall through Wednesday, which could help ease some of the conditions for firefighters. But, she said, the landscape will remain bone-dry. Just this weekend, Cal Fire responded to nine new fires across the state, including multiple fires in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and up north. However the Wolf fire remained, by far, the largest. Cal Fire officials said Monday morning that crews made 'good progress' on the Wolf fire overnight and expect to continue to push back the fire with multiple aircraft and hundreds of firefighters on the ground. The fire broke out near the intersection of Old Banning Idyllwild Road and Wolfskill Truck Trail a little after 3 p.m. Sunday, according to the agency. The Mindy wildfire near Aguanga also started Sunday, and was measured at about 100 acres by Monday morning, and almost 70% contained, according to Cal Fire. The Mandalay fire in the Jurupa Valley also ignited Sunday, growing to 63 acres with no containment, per the latest Cal Fire reports. Near Devore, the Cable fire broke out in the Cable Canyon Sunday, but remained at about 15 acres Monday morning, with 15% containment. Cal Fire officials reported that one firefighter there had been taken to the hospital for a heat-related injury. On Saturday, the Lake fire forced more than 100 people to evacuate Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, after the fire erupted near the reservoir. It remained at 478 acres and 15% contained as of Monday morning, but Cal Fire reported crews had been able to stop its forward progress. The Smiley fire near Ordway also broke out Saturday, reaching 83 acres. It was 100% contained though by Monday morning, according to Cal Fire. With so many ongoing fires, officials had issued an air quality alert Monday for the Riverside County mountains, Coachella Valley and San Gorgonio Pass including Palm Springs and Idyllwild. 'Particles in wildfire smoke can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks, and difficulty breathing,' the weather service warned. 'Everyone can be affected, but people with lung or heart disease, older adults, people who are pregnant, children, and those who spend a lot of time outdoors are at greater risk.' Officials were also concerned that much of inland Northern California — from the eastern Mendocino National Forest to Shasta, Tehama and Trinity counties — could soon see increased wildfire activity. The region was upgraded to a red flag warning for Monday and Tuesday, with the weather service warning that thunderstorms and winds could create dangerous conditions. 'Lightning can create new fire starts and [that] may combine with gusty outflow winds to cause a fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity,' the red flag warning said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Wolf Fire: Blaze near Banning burns 1,165 acres; evacuations ordered
(This story was updated with new information.) A brush fire near Banning had grown to over 1,100 acres by Sunday evening, according to Cal Fire. The Wolf Fire was first reported near Old Banning Idyllwild Road and Wolfskill Truck Trail, west of Highway 243. It was reported about 3:09 p.m. Cal Fire reported that 200 personnel, a helicopter, 25 fire engines, two dozers, three water tenders and other crews had been assigned. The size of the fire, 1,165 acres, is over 1.82 square miles. As of just after 6 p.m., evacuation orders and warnings were in effect for almost all the Banning and Cabazon areas south of Interstate 10. Evacuation orders were issued for areas east of Highland Springs Avenue, west of Old Cabazon Road, north of Poppet Flat Divide Truck Trail and south of Interstate 10. Evacuation warnings were also in place for regions east of Bergamo Avenue, west of South San Gorgonio (243) Avenue, north of Poppet Flats Trail and south of Highland Springs Avenue. The boundaries are viewable at A shelter for people who had to leave their homes was open at Hemet High School, 41701 E. Stetson Ave, Hemet CA 92544. An animal shelter was open at San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus, 581 S Grand Ave, San Jacinto CA 92582. At least two other wildfires were burning in the area on Sunday. Firefighters battled the Mandalay Fire that burned about 63 acres in Riverside before crews got it under control, according to a fire-monitoring website. The fire was reported around 2 p.m. Sunday in the area west of Tyler Street and Mandalay Court, according to the city of Riverside Fire Department. Evacuation orders were issued in parts of Riverside County as firefighters continued to battle the 100-acre Mindy Fire in Aguanga on Sunday. City News Service contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Wolf Fire: Size, location, containment, evacuations, road closures
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mindy Fire: Brush fire in Aguanga grows to 100 acres; evacuations ordered
Evacuation orders were issued in parts of Riverside County as firefighters continued to battle a 100-acre brush fire in Aguanga on Sunday. The Mindy Fire was reported around 3:40 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of Decoursey Road and Mindy Lane, where firefighters found the fire burning at a moderate rate. At the initial time of report, the fire was burning about 20 acres, but grew to 100 acres by 6:40 p.m. Evacuations were ordered for areas north of Wilson Balley Road, west of Cahuilla Heights Road, east of Benton Road and south of Red Mountain road on Sunday evening. Details are available at The cause of the fire was not immediately known. At least two other wildfires were burning in the area on Sunday. The Wolf Fire near Banning had grown to over 1,100 acres by Sunday evening, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters battled the Mandalay Fire that burned about 63 acres in Riverside before crews got it under control, according to a fire-monitoring website. The fire was reported around 2 p.m. Sunday in the area west of Tyler Street and Mandalay Court, according to the city of Riverside Fire Department. This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mindy Fire: Size, location, containment, evacuations, road closures
