By Melissa Pinion-Whitt
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, California)
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MENTONE, Calif. — More than 500 firefighters braced themselves for afternoon winds and high temperatures today as they continued to battle a large brush fire three miles north of the city.
Highway 38 remained closed from Bryant Street to Valley of the Falls Drive and evacuations were still in effect for Mountain Home Village and Loch Leven Conference Center, the U.S. Forest Service said.
The fire, which started about 3 p.m. Tuesday near Emerald and Newport avenues, swept through 2,000 acres of brush, destroyed one home and two other structures. One firefighter was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pain. The fire was about 10 percent contained by 5 a.m. today.
The blaze, headed east toward the 2005 Thurman Fire, didn’t appear to grow overnight, but fire officials expected winds up to 15 mph, low humidity and temperatures reaching 95 degrees by afternoon.
Firefighters operating airtankers, water-dropping helicopters and other aircraft were expected to continue battling the blaze about 8 a.m., with fire crews navigating steep rugged terrain below.
The U.S. Forest Service expected the blaze to be fully contained by about 6 p.m. Friday.
Fire officials urged residents to remain alert and prepared for changes in fire activity. Residents should listen to local radio and television stations for updates on wildfires and road closure information.