Banning Wildfire Burns 10,000 Acres, Injures 3
Comments (17)
A rapidly-expanding wildfire near the Riverside County city of Banning doubled in size to nearly 10,000 acres overnight, scorching at least 15 homes.
The "Silver Fire" began around 2:00pm on Wednesday just south of Banning near Poppet Flats Road and Highway 243 and had been growing at a rate of 1 mile per hour. During a Thursday morning briefing, Cal Fire estimated that the fire grew to 3,000 acres within the first hour.
One resident and two firefighters suffered moderate to serious injuries as a result of the fire. According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the resident suffered "second-to third-degree burns" and was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton. The conditions of the injured are not known at this time.
As of Thursday morning, the Silver Fire was 0% contained. Cal Fire said that high winds and hot temperatures are assisting the fire's rapid expansion. Fire crews are also concerned about the rough terrain.
Heavy smoke from Silver Fire in Palm Springs/via Twitter @mchungphoto
Over 500 homes are currently threatened by the fire and 1,800 residents have been evacuated from the nearby communities of Poppet Flats, Twin Pines, Vista Grande, and Silent Valley. Additional evacuations to south Cabazon were ordered on Thursday morning.
Evacuation centers have been established at nearby Hemet High School and Beaumont High School.
A Google map of the Silver Fire can be found here.
Reach Executive Producer Colin Hale here. Follow him on Twitter.
