Pocket Fire Complex: estimated 512 acres, 45% contained.
Location: 40 miles South of Ozona, Texas

Pocket Fire: Estimated 500 Acres, 45% contained. Fire behavior was very active today with short runs and spotting reported. Due to increased fire behavior, ground crews are conducting burn out operations to help slow the spread of the fire. Burn out operations will continue tonight if the opportunity to do so safely arises.
White Mesa Fire: 5 acres, 100% contained. Local fire departments continue to monitor the fire area for any heat sources.
South Tower Fire: estimated 7 acres, 60% contained. Crews continue to make progress on constructing containment line in rough terrain. Forward progression has been stopped. Crews will disengage at dark due to safety issues in the rough terrain.  

Pocket Fire Complex: estimated 500 acres, 30% contained.
Location: 40 miles south of Ozona in Val Verde County.

Last night, fire behavior remained active. One structure was saved by ground crews. Fire 1 paralleled FM 1024 in some areas. Fire 2 was staffed by local fire departments and was reported as looking good.  

Planned actions for today are to use aircraft to check the fire and give the opportunity for ground resources to construct containment lines where possible. Bulldozers and handcrews will continue to construct containment line around the fire. Dozers are beginning to engage steeper topography. Engine crews will begin conducting structure protection as needed, patrolling and watching for spotting over the constructed lines.

Pocket Fire: estimated 200 acres, 0% contained. 
Location: 40 miles South of Ozona in Val Verde County.
Resources: 59

Bulldozers and handcrews are currently working to construct line around the fire. The fire is burning in rough terrain with rock ledges and is rapidly spreading. Aviation resources have been ordered to assist with containment using retardant and water drops.

Tonight, firefighters will continue to build and improve containment lines.

Fire Weather: Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible this evening and again Sunday afternoon and evening. Rainfall is expected to be very spotty, with most locations remaining dry. Strong outflow winds and frequent lightning are possible near the storms. While winds this evening will generally be from the east to southeast, thunderstorm outflow could bring abrupt wind shifts.
 
Additional resources have been ordered to assist with fire containment.  

Incident Information:
Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020
Cause: Human Caused
Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush
Size: 33,424 acres
Location: Banning Canyon
Injuries: 4
Homes destroyed: 4
Percent contained: 95%
Strategy: Full Suppression

Current Situation: The Apple Fire is calm and 95% contained 20 days after it was sparked. Working in extreme heat and steep terrain, firefighters are focused on monitoring, patrolling and suppression repair. Thunderstorms may rumble again today and crews are monitoring for possible heavy rain and mudflows. Within the Apple Fire’s perimeter, pockets of burning vegetation may generate occasional light smoke. Many firefighters, equipment and aircraft have been assigned to other wildfires in California and the west.

An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until 10 pm Thursday, August 20. Dangerously hot conditions continue throughout the region. Firefighters continue to follow COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, using hand sanitizers, meeting outside, washing hands, and sanitizing workspaces.

Recently burned areas are at a greater risk of mudflows and flash floods. Fires eliminate vegetation that can hold soil in place and charred ground may be unable to absorb water. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid burn assessments identify areas that have increased potential for floods and mudflows. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page.

Incident Summary: The Apple Fire was started in Cherry Valley CA on July 31, 2020, due to a malfunctioning diesel vehicle. Due to dry vegetation and southwest winds, the wildfire quickly spread, eventually causing evacuations and reaching 33,424 acres total. At the height of the fire, over 2,800 personnel responded and assisted on the incident. Much of the northern and eastern sections of the wildfire burned on very steep, rugged wilderness mountains that were not accessible to firefighting vehicles. Firefighters earned 90% containment by August 14, and management was turned over to the San Bernardino National Forest. The Forest Service is focused on suppression, suppression repair and monitoring while continuing to work towards 100% containment. This will be the final Apple Fire written update unless there are significant new changes in fire behavior.

Safety Message: Signing up for your county emergency alert system is an easy and potentially life-saving action. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible. The alert system can help prepare and notify residents in the event of a mudflow or flood. 
 
San Bernardino County Residents
Telephone Emergency Notification System
http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx

Riverside County Residents
RivCoReady
https://www.rivcoready.org/

It is still early in the Southern California fire season. Now is the time to prepare defensible space around your home. Defensible space is needed to slow the spread of wildfire and protect the firefighters defending homes in your neighborhood. These efforts can preserve firefighting resources, reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, and minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served. You can learn more about defensible space at the CAL FIRE website Ready for Wildfire.

Closures: The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed to all use until further notice. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

A portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N01 (Pipes Canyon Road).

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Incident Information:

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 33,424 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 4

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 95%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Current Situation:
Containment is at 95%. Crews are primarily focusing on monitoring and patrolling, as well as putting out hotspots and repairing impacts on the land. There is a chance of thunderstorms today and crews are monitoring for mudflows. Firefighters are working in extreme heat and steep terrain. Within the fire’s perimeter, pockets of burning vegetation may generate smoke.

An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until 10 pm Thursday, August 20. Dangerously hot conditions are expected for the Inland Empire. Firefighters continue to follow COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, using hand sanitizers, meeting outside, washing hands, and sanitizing workspaces.

Suppression repair on Yucaipa Ridge is complete. Recently burned areas are at a greater risk of mudflows and flash floods. Fires eliminate vegetation that can hold soil in place and charred ground may be unable to absorb water. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid burn assessments identify areas that have increased potential for floods and mudflows. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page.
 

Safety Message:
Prepare defensible space around your home. Defensible space is needed to slow the spread of wildfire and protect the firefighters defending homes in your neighborhood. These efforts can also reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, minimizing exposure to COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served. You can learn more about defensible space at the CAL FIRE website Ready for Wildfire.

Signing up for your county emergency alert system is an easy and potentially life-saving action. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible.
 
San Bernardino County Residents
Telephone Emergency Notification System
http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx

Riverside County Residents
RivCoReady
https://www.rivcoready.org/

Closures:
The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed to all use until further notice. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

A portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N01 (Pipes Canyon Road).

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Current Situation: On the 17th day of the Apple Fire, containment is at 90%. Coping with extreme heat and steep terrain, crews progressed Saturday in securing the northeastern edge of the fire in a remote part of the San Bernardino Mountains. Light sprinkles fell briefly on the burn area yesterday evening, but did not wet the ground. There is a 10% chance of storms today. Using heavy equipment and hand tools, crews are working to mop-up heat along the fireline and repair impacts to the land. Far within the fire’s interior, pockets of burning vegetation may occasionally generate smoke. $51.8 million has been spent so far on fighting the Apple Fire.

An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until Wednesday, August 17, 2020. Dangerously hot conditions are expected for the Inland Empire. More information about this warning can be found at the National Weather Service website. Firefighters are following COVID-19 precautions, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, temperature checks daily, using hand sanitizers, meeting outside, washing hands and sanitizing workspaces.

Significant progress has been made on suppression repair on Yucaipa Ridge. Recently burned areas are at a greater risk of mudflows and flash floods. Fires eliminate vegetation that can hold soil in place and charred ground may be unable to absorb water. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid burn assessments identify areas that have increased potential for floods and mudflows. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page.

Safety Message: It is still early in the Southern California fire season. Now is the time to prepare defensible space around your home. Defensible space is needed to slow the spread of wildfire and protect the firefighters defending homes in your neighborhood. These efforts can preserve firefighting resources, reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, and minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served. You can learn more about defensible space at the CAL FIRE website Ready for Wildfire.

One easy and potentially life-saving task that all residents can do right now is to sign up for the emergency alert system in their county. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible.

Telephone Emergency Notification System

San Bernardino County Residents
http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx
Riverside County Residents
RivCoReady
https://www.rivcoready.org 

U.S. FOREST SERVICE CAL FIRE - RIVERSIDE UNIT

APPLE FIRE                                  

AUGUST 15, 2020 Daily UPDATE 

Incident Information: 909-382-2711, 7A–10P daily

Incident E-mail: 2020.apple@firenet.gov

Incident Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6902/

Incident Information: 

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 33,424 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 4

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 90%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Containment of the Apple Fire is at 90%. Friday evening a local Type 3 team took command of the fire. Crews will remain to mop-up along the fireline and repair impacts to the land. Expect heavy equipment in areas that are being rehabilitated. Far within the fire’s edge, pockets of burning vegetation may occasionally generate smoke. 

An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until Wednesday, August 17, 2020. Dangerously hot conditions are expected for the Inland Empire. More information about this warning can be found at the National Weather Service website. 

Suppression repair efforts on Yucaipa Ridge are underway. Recently burned areas are at a greater risk of mudflows and flash floods. Fires eliminate vegetation that can hold soil in place and charred ground may be unable to absorb water. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid burn assessments identify areas that have increased potential for floods and mudflows. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page. 

Safety Message: 

It is still early in the Southern California fire season. Now is the time to prepare defensible space around your home. Defensible space is needed to slow the spread of wildfire and protect the firefighters defending homes in your neighborhood. These efforts can preserve firefighting resources, reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, and minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served. You can learn more about defensible space at the CAL FIRE website Ready for Wildfire. 

One easy and potentially life-saving task that all residents can do right now is to sign up for the emergency alert system in their county. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible. 

San Bernardino Residents

Telephone Emergency Notification System 

http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx

Riverside County Residents 

RivCoReady 

https://www.rivcoready.org/ 

Closures: 

The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details. 

A portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail is closed. Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, the PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N01 (Pipes Canyon Road). 

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Apple Post-BAER Fire Website: 

inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6939/

San Bernardino National Forest: www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf

Facebook: facebook.com/SanBernardinoNF/ 

Twitter: twitter.com/sanbernardinonf

CAL FIRE Riverside County Fire Department: www.rvcfire.org

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 33,424 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 4

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 90%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Resources:

Hand Crews: 16

Engines: 22

Dozers: 7

Helicopters: 9

Water Tenders: 23

Total Personnel: 897

Current Situation:

Containment of the Apple Fire is now at 90%. Today, the California Incident Management Team 2 will transfer command of the Apple Fire to a local Type 3 team led by Incident Commander Matt Ahearn of the San Bernardino National Forest, while still in unified command with CAL FIRE. On behalf of the team, Incident Commander Mike Minton would like to thank the surrounding communities for their support. This successful effort was built upon local, state, and federal agencies working closely together.

The work is not over—suppression repair efforts will continue over the coming weeks. Crews will remain to mop up along the fireline and repair impacts on the landscape. Expect heavy equipment in areas that are being rehabilitated. Crews return today from the spike camps in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, where they worked on containment lines. Far within the fire’s edge, pockets of burning vegetation may occasionally generate small isolated smoke columns.

An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, effective at noon today until Monday. Dangerously hot conditions are expected for the Inland Empire. More information about this warning can be found at the National Weather Service website.

It is still early in the Southern California fire season. Now is the time to prepare defensible space around your home. Defensible space is needed to slow the spread of wildfire and protect the firefighters defending homes in your neighborhood. You can learn more about defensible space at the CAL FIRE website Ready for Wildfire.

Since fires eliminate vegetation that can hold soil in place, recently burned areas are at an even greater risk of mudflows and flash floods. Wildfires leave the ground charred and unable to absorb water. BAER emergency response efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid assessments evaluate the burned area to identify areas that have increased potential for floods and mudflows. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page or call the BAER information line at 707-853-4243 (8 am – 8 pm).

This is the last update that Incident Management Team 2 will release. The San Bernardino National Forest and CAL FIRE Type 3 Team will continue to update the public on the fire and post-fire response efforts.

Evacuations / Closures:

There are no remaining Evacuation Warnings in effect.

One easy and potentially life-saving task that all residents can do right now is to sign up for the emergency alerts system in their county. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible.

San Bernardino Residents

Telephone Emergency Notification System

http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx

Riverside County Residents

RivCoReady

https://www.rivcoready.org/

The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail: Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, the PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N01 (Pipes Canyon Road).

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: Riverside County Emergency Management Department, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Fire, California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.

Safety Message: During the 2020 fire year, the most important thing that the public can do is work to prevent human-caused fires. From following fire restrictions to talking to neighbors about defensible space around their homes, individual actions can reduce the number and impact of human-caused fires. Additionally, these efforts can preserve firefighting resources, reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, and minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served.

Incident Information:

Start / Report Date: July 31, 2020

Cause: Human Caused

Fuels Involved: Chaparral & Brush

Size: 33,424 acres

Location: Banning Canyon

Injuries: 3

Homes destroyed: 4

Percent contained: 80%

Strategy: Full Suppression

Resources:

Hand Crews: 22

Engines: 42

Dozers: 7

Helicopters: 11

Fixed wing: 2

Water Tenders: 24

Total Personnel: 1,159

Current Situation:

Great strides were made on the Apple Fire yesterday on containment, which is now at 80%. Two hotshot crews are working along a ridge to the north and will strengthen those lines over the next few days. Firefighters continue to patrol areas, cool hotspots, backhaul equipment, and repair impacts on the landscape from suppression activities.

Yesterday, smoke could be seen rising from an area in the northeastern corner of the fire. Due to the steep terrain, firefighters are unable to directly reach the pocket of burning vegetation but will continue to monitor the fire as it burns back against itself. A rocky chute near this area serves as natural barrier, so the probability of the fire progressing from this point is low. Until the area experiences significant rainfall, smoke from patches of burning vegetation well within the fire’s edge may continue to be seen from a distance. Today, helicopters will address hotspots with water drops.

Skies were overcast above much of the fire this morning. Some high-level moisture from Hurricane Elida will move into the area and bring a slight chance of showers and possible lightning strikes at high elevations. Gusty winds and high temperatures persist through the week, leading up to a heat wave this weekend.

A Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team was established by the San Bernardino National Forest to begin a burned area assessment of the Apple Fire which also burned on state, private, and federal lands. Along with the Forest Service BAER team, a California state burn area assessment team will be evaluating burned private lands while a US Department of Interior BAER team will be surveying burned Morongo Tribal land. All three teams will be sharing information and data as they complete their assessments and subsequent reports.

BAER emergency response efforts are focused on the protection of human life, safety, and property. Rapid assessments evaluate the burned area to identify watersheds having increased potential for post-fire flooding, sediment flows, and rock slides. Efforts are also directed towards critical cultural and natural resource values, such as water quality. For more information, please visit the Apple Post-Fire BAER InciWeb page or call the BAER information line at 707-853-4243 (8 am – 8 pm).

Evacuations / Closures:

There are no remaining Evacuation Warnings in effect.

One easy and potentially life-saving task that all residents can do right now is to sign up for the emergency alerts system in their county. These systems help public safety officials to provide critical updates, such as evacuation notifications, as quickly as possible.

San Bernardino Residents

Telephone Emergency Notification System

http://www.sbcounty.gov/SBCFire/TENS/TENSContact.aspx

Riverside County Residents

RivCoReady

https://www.rivcoready.org/

The San Gorgonio Wilderness is closed to all use. An Emergency Forest Closure Order is in effect as of August 2, 2020. The order prohibits all entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness and some adjacent areas. Additionally, all Forest Service recreation areas in the Forest Falls area are closed. Fire restrictions have increased across the San Bernardino National Forest. Please refer to the Forest web page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf for additional details.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail: Due to closures in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, the PCT is closed to all traffic between the Cottonwood Trailhead, near the community of San Gorgonio and Forest Road 1N01 (Pipes Canyon Road).

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire and vicinity. It is illegal to fly drones within the restricted area. Remember, “When you fly, we can’t”.

Cooperating and Assisting Organizations: Riverside County Emergency Management Department, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Riverside County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Sheriffs, San Bernardino County Fire, California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.

Safety Message: During the 2020 fire year, the most important thing that the public can do is work to prevent human-caused fires. From following fire restrictions to talking to neighbors about defensible space around their homes, individual actions can reduce the number and impact of human-caused fires. Additionally, these efforts can preserve firefighting resources, reduce the need for firefighters to move throughout the country, and minimize exposure to and transmission of COVID-19 among incident personnel and communities served.