El Dorado Fire In Yucaipa Quickly Grows, Spurs Evacuations
REAL-TIME EL DORADO FIRE UPDATES
YUCAIPA (CBSLA) — A brush fire developed Saturday in Yucaipa, quickly growing to 2,159 acres and sending a large plume of smoke into the sky. As of approximately 10:20 p.m., the fire was 5% contained.
Dubbed the El Dorado fire, the blaze erupted around 10:30 a.m. at El Dorado Ranch Park and prompted the evacuation of the following areas:
- Oak Glen (partial, see road closures)
- Mountain Home Village
- Forest Falls
- A portion of North Bench Yucaipa (east of Jefferson St., North of Oak Glen Rd., south of Yucaipa Ridge and west of the community of Oak Glen)
The following road closures are in place:
- Highway 38 at Bryant St. in Yucaipa and the community of Angelus Oaks
- Oak Glen Rd. between Pine Bench Rd. and Cherry Croft Dr.
- There is a soft closure on Highway 38 at Lake Williams Dr. to warn drivers of the closure in Angelus Oaks
A temporary evacuation center is located at the Yucaipa Community Center, 34900 Oak Glen Rd, Yucaipa, CA 92399.
The fire erupted around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and had a dangerous rate of spread, aggravated by windy and extremely hot conditions, according to firefighters.
Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit is in unified command with San Bernardino County Fire, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, City of Yucaipa, and San Bernardino National Forest.
"We have the trifecta of everything," said CAL Fire PIO Thomas Shoots. "We have the winds picking up, we have the super-hot temperatures, we have the dry air. On top that, look at the terrain we're dealing with out here, a lot of rugged terrains, a lot of difficult to access areas. And so it all kinds of comes together, and unfortunately, a lot of the stuff we saw with the Apple Fire, we've seen today."
No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
