A wildfire started by a gender reveal party at El Dorado Ranch Park, above Yucaipa grew to 7,386 acres overnight.
The fire had been at 7,050 acres as of Sunday night, Sept. 6. The fire calmed briefly overnight, but then picked up again around 3:30 a.m., according to the San Bernardino National Forest.
The 619 firefighters working the blaze managed to reach 7% containment as of Monday morning, Sept. 7.
Containment does not mean how much of a fire has been put out. Rather, it represents a border firefighters have created around the perimeter of a blaze to keep it from spreading. That means a border has been created around 7% of the El Dorado Fire.
While temperatures will cool Monday, an excessive heat warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. A Fire Weather Watch will take its place on Tuesday and Wednesday. There’s a possibility of Santa Ana conditions later in the week.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for all residents north of Yucaipa Boulevard and east of Bryant Street, as well as north of Carter Street and west of Bryant. The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at the Yucaipa Community Center, 34900 Oak Glen Road.
The Southern California Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory Sunday. The forecast indicates winds will likely shift Monday and send smoke through the San Gorgonio Pass and into the San Jacinto Mountains. Idyllwild, Banning and the Western Coachella Valley may experience impacts as a result.
The following roads are closed as of Monday morning:
- Highway 38 at Bryant Street;
- Oak Glen Road between Pine Bench Road and Cherry Croft Drive;
- Bryant Street between Highway 38 and Carter Street.
All of the San Gorgonio Wilderness, except for the Pacific Crest Trail, is also closed to the public.
Investigators determined a smoke generating pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party Saturday morning started the fire at El Dorado Ranch Park. The flames initially spread onto Yucaipa Ridge overlooking Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls, then dropped toward the Pine Bench area overnight.
“Cal Fire reminds the public that with the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire,” the agency said in a statment. “Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially and criminally responsible.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Sunday for San Bernardino County due to the El Dorado Fire. The governor’s proclamation noted that because of the magnitude of fires throughout the state, local governments will require “the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond.”
Source: Orange County Register
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