FIRE!

There is a huge fire up in our local San Bernardino mountains, above the Whitewater Preserve (which is now closed).  It started the day we left on vacation and has been burning now for one week.  It is only 30% contained and with gusty winds in the forecast, who knows what will happen next.  As we came down Interstate 10 to Indio yesterday afternoon, we were horrified to see all the smoke from it.  The smoke is now drifting toward Arizona.  Apparently firefighters set several backfires in an effort to control it and we were seeing those.

These mountains are not the ones I drive through, up by Deep Canyon.  Those are the Santa Rosa mountains, which are part of the San Jacinto wilderness.

This fire is up by Big Bear and is 11 air miles from Pioneertown and Morongo Valley.  Another fire swept through Pioneertown a few years ago and residents there are, of course, extremely worried.  This one is burning up Highway 38, the road to Big Bear and Mt. San Gorgonio.  So, it is across the valley from us and is moving toward Joshua Tree National Park.  I believe the park is still open, but there is a health advisory from all the smoke.

Here is a link to one of our local news stations' reports:

http://www.kesq.com/news/photos-of-lake-fire-burning-in-san-bernardino-mountains/33653860

Here is also a link to the Los Angeles Times article.  According to them, it is now up to 21,000 acres that are burned.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-wildfire-san-bernardino-mountains-grows-winds-shift-20150624-story.html