Evacuations, road closures lifted as Bonita Fire near Mountain Center held to 715 acres; 30% contained

All evacuation and road closure orders were lifted Friday evening as firefighters held a wildfire that started more than 12 hours earlier near Mountain Center to 715 acres, officials said.

As of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Cal Fire Riverside County officials, the blaze known as the Bonita Fire was 30% contained. Containment the previous night was at 20%. 

Fire activity had died down on Saturday, but, officials warned, it could increase as dry weather and gusty Santa Ana winds were expected to continue through the night. Despite the extreme fire weather and challenging terrain, the fire had not grown on and firefighters were able to hold the perimeter. 

No structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported, Capt. Richard Cordova, a spokesperson for Cal Fire Riverside County, said. 

The Bonita Fire was first reported at 1:16 a.m. in the 28000 block of Bonita Vista Drive, near Apple Canyon Road north of Garner Valley, amid warmer-than-usual temperatures in the mountains around the Palm Springs area. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Fire personnel were able to stop its forward progress Friday afternoon after dry Santa Ana winds died down. 

Cordova said crews were able to fight the blaze aggressively when it started with additional Cal Fire units that were in the area already.

“When we recognize a wind event and see the potential for a fire, we will move equipment up and down the state,” Cordova said.

The Fresno/Kings Cal Fire unit arrived in the area around 7 p.m. Thursday, so they were already here to assist, Cordova said.

Fire Capt. Chris Bruno with Cal Fire’s Fresno/Kings unit said the diminishing winds  gave firefighters on the ground and in the air an advantage. Hand and dozer crews worked to increase containment lines, as helicopters flew above.

By about 8:45 a.m., there were no visible flames from Highway 74 near the Living Free Animal Sanctuary, but some smoke could be seen over the ridge where helicopters had been dropping retardant.

“We’re trying to work aggressively to make an attack on it, that way we can have it contained before the wind kicks up again,” Bruno said.

Living Free Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit animal shelter located a couple miles west of where the fire burned Friday.  Flames spread to the edge of the shelter's parking lot near the visitor center and almost took out the well house.

“It came significantly closer than we like,” said Jo Ann Roettgen of Living Free.

The sanctuary's 150 to 200 animals — including cats, dogs, rabbits and horses —  were all loaded for evacuation by 4 a.m., Roettgen said. But they did not have to leave.

“We sheltered in place and awaited word. We were told it was OK,” she said, and the animals were safely returned to their holding areas.

Evacuation center established, roads reopen

The progress meant that many of the evacuated residents of the 200 households that had been threatened by the blaze were able to return home, and by Friday evening all evacuation orders had been lifted. 

Southern California Edison reported two power outages in the area on Friday, one north of Mountain Center that affected 334 customers and another that was west of Mountain Center that affected 137 customers.

Aware that smoke and ash from the fire could cause problems for people with breathing disorders who live in the vicinity, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory Friday.

According to the AQMD, smoke from the wildland blaze drifted to the southwest, over the Anza Valley. Officials cautioned people with sensitive conditions were cautioned to be aware of the hazards from exposure to any particulate matter.

“If you smell smoke or see ash due to a wildfire, limit your exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed ... and avoiding vigorous physical activity,” the air quality agency recommended.

An earlier brush fire near homes caused anxious moments Thursday in Thousand Oaks, west of Los Angeles, but Ventura County firefighters held it to 250 acres and evacuations were lifted.

Fire weather across Southern California

Gusty Santa Ana winds are expected to continue in most of Riverside County on Saturday amid dry and unseasonably warm conditions, significantly raising the risk of wildfires.

A red flag warning was in effect in the Riverside metropolitan area and the Riverside County mountains until Saturday afternoon. The warning had been set to expire Friday afternoon, but forecasters extended it because of the anticipated gusty winds.

“The next round of Santa Ana winds will develop Saturday morning, peak Saturday afternoon into Saturday night with strongest gusts to around 45 mph, then diminish Sunday,” according to the NWS. “With humidity remaining quite low Saturday, this has prompted the extension of the red flag warning through 4 p.m. Saturday.”

Forecasters said more localized and weaker winds are expected on Sunday, then a round of potentially stronger Santa Ana winds is expected next week. 

“Another round of more widespread and stronger northeast winds develops on Monday, peak late Monday night through Tuesday, then slowly subside for Tuesday night and Wednesday,” forecasters said. “Humidity looks higher and is expected to stay above 20 percent. There is also a chance of showers mainly for the mountains and lower deserts.”

More than 95% of California is experiencing moderate, severe, extreme or exceptional drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor said. The remainder — stretching east and south of Los Angeles to the U.S.-Mexico border — is considered abnormally dry.

Efforts to reduce wildfire fuel lagging

The Bonita Fire ignited just days after fire officials announced that prescribed burn efforts in the area were being temporarily halted due to declining weather conditions. 

Earlier in the month the weather turned to more wintery conditions, which it seemed at the time would allow crews to get out and safely ignite prescribed burns. Due to insufficient burns, climate change and a history of aggressive fire suppression, California's worst fire season in recorded human history torched more than 4 million acres. That's more than double what has burned in a single year since data-tracking began.

"We set out each year to accomplish as much prescribed burning as we can, when it is safe to do so," Scott Howes, the San Bernardino National Forest's deputy fire chief, said in the statement announcing the burns.

The Forest Service was looking to burn 2,800 acres in the San Bernardino National Forest through the winter and spring, although whether that's accomplished hinges on a range of climatic variables.

"These factors include wind, humidity, air quality, fuel moisture and availability of fire crew personnel," according to the Forest Service.

"Prescribed burning is an important activity for the long-term health and wellness of the Forest," said the San Bernardino National Forest's Fire Chief Jaime Gamboa, "but when a heightened fire danger returns, we need to switch gears and be ready for the possibility of significant fire activity."

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report, along with previous reporting by Desert Sun environment reporter Mark Olalde.