Emerald Fire News from Wed night.
from Wed night said:Emerald Fire
Three miles north of Mentone
San Bernardino County
More than 2,000 acres have already burned in the Emerald Fire since shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Reports indicate 10 percent containment as of this morning. The incident is in unified command with the San Bernardino National Forest and the California Department of Forestry. The Incident briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. today when the USFS Type 2 Incident Management Team will assume command. This incident had a rapid rate of spread. Hot temperatures, low humidity and moderate range spotting hampered containment efforts and forced the evacuation of the Morton Peak Lookout. Spotting indicates extreme fire conditions and occurs when a small fire gets ahead of the main fire because hot embers are being carried to a receptive fuel bed.
CDF has several air tankers, helicopters, engines, dozers, crews and personnel on this federal fire. In total 575 personnel have been assigned: 351 from CDF, 196 Federal, and 28 from Local government. The California Conservation Corps has a crew that is providing camp support.
The Emerald Fire burned actively throughout the evening. Active fire is expected during the day, and weather reports forecast a potential for winds in the afternoon. The road closure remains in effect for Highway 38 from Bryant Street to Valley of the Falls Drive, with mandatory evacuations of the Mountain Home Village and Loch Leven Conference Center. The Highway 38 road closure will remain in effect through Wednesday when it can be assessed in daylight hours for public safety and removal of firefighting equipment. The communities of Mountain Home Village, Forest Falls, Angeles Oaks and Big Bear are still threatened. One medical emergency associated with the incident occurred when a firefighter felt chest pains and was transported to the hospital.